Of Armor and Pink Petals
by StoryofTheC
Summary: After the war, Sakura Haruno is left with nothing. Everyone she loved died. She wants to give up, but life had other plans for the pink haired kunoichi. TobiramaXSakura if you don't like pairing, don't read. Be nice, it is my first fanfiction! Slow burn but rated M just in case!
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Hey people! This is my first ever fanfiction and I am kind of nervous to post it here but here goes nothing! Please, let me know if I make any grammar mistakes, after all, English is not my first language! Also, I watched Naturo years back so the characters might be out of character a bit, but other than that, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 1

The pink haired kunoichi was all dressed in black. Long sleeve shirt and tight black pants. After the war, she took the habit of wearing this outfit since everyone seemed to die. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, her parents… Even her mentor. As the thought crossed her mind, her green eyes dulled a bit. She took in a shaky breath and continued her walk.

Right now she was making her way back home from the memorial the village put together for the fallen. She stood there for hours while the name of her companions were engraved in the memorial stone. Looking at it, she understood why Kakashi spent so much time there. It was were she could feel close to her fallen comrades.

As she was walking home, she realized that the street were busy and loud like they were before the war.. Like nothing happened. But the thing is, everything changed. Sakura started to walk faster. She could not stand the atmosphere around her. Her feet led her to her parents house. Her childhood home. Home. What a weird word. Especially when everything that makes a home feel like one is gone.

Nervous, she stared at the door in front of her. It was the first time that she was back there since the end of the war. She preferred to sleep in her small apartment since there were less memories attached to it. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

The smell of wildflowers and cinnamon floating in the air almost made her back out. Even after months, the house still smelled like her mother. Closing her eyes tightly, she stayed in the hallway and closed the door. Sakura looked around slowly and every happy memories came crashing in. She remembered the smell of breakfast in the morning, the laughter of her mom while they were sitting at the kitchen table… her dad reading on his chair near the window, the conversations they had in the living room…

_They are gone_.

Making her way in the living room, she looked at the pictures over the fireplace. One of the frame caught her attention. Slowly, like it was the most precious thing in the world, she picked it up. It was a picture taken the day she was made head of the hospital of Konoha. She remembered it too well. Her parents were so excited. On the picture, she was standing at the front, hugging her mother who looked so happy while her dad behind her had his hand on her head, smirking with a spark in his eye, proud of his daughter's accomplishment.

When she told them she wanted to be a ninja, the fought a lot but that picture right there, showed her that no matter what she was doing in her life, her parents would always be proud of her.

Touching the picture delicately, she started to feel tears burning her eyes. Trying to avoid crying again, she closed them for a moment and calmed her erratic heart by breathing slowly. She could not help it. She was feeling it. The enormous hole in her heart, aching like an open wound. The loudness of their absence. The emptiness crushing her from the inside.

Turning her head to the left, she saw a picture of team 7 on their first day together. That's when she cracked. Life was so unfair. _Why things like that had to happen?_  
In a moment of painful anger, she threw the frame she was holding on the floor. The glass shattered like her heart did so many times this past week. Not being able to handle her grief and anger, she threw all the pictures on the floor, the chairs on the walls, blinded by tears and physical pain her grief was causing her. After a few minutes, she slipped on the floor, tired, with her head down. Her hair was like a curtain around her face and she was sobbing. Sitting on her heels, she grabbed her head into her hands. She couldn't breathe. The air was too heavy. To many memories. Smells. Feelings. She couldn't stay. Impossible. She knew one thing: she needed to get out of this house. Now.

Sakura got up, walking on the broken glass, she couldn't feel the pain on her feet, at least, she didn't care if it did hurt. Opening the door, she glanced inside the house one more time and started to run into the woods. Branches scratched her arms and legs but she did not care. She needed to put distance between her and her childhood home.

A few minutes later, she reached the river. The night was bright, full moon was out, shining on the water peacefully. As Sakura walked to the river, a sharp pain in her foot made her lose her balance and she fell face first on the ground. Not able to hold it anymore, she started sobbing uncontrollably. In an attempt to feel safer, she brought her knees close to her chest, trying to keep her broken heart in one piece. Her thoughts went to her fallen team, seeing the picture of team 7 in her mind. Her mentor would not be proud to see her in that state, she would tell her to pick herself up and be strong. But right now, she could not care less. She chocked and yelled to the moon.

"I just want to disappear. I don't want to live in a world without them. If only I could have save them."

Exhausted, she fell asleep near the river. As soon as her breath evened out, the moon grew brighter and brighter until a flash of blinding light took over the whole landscape. Little did Sakura know, life would surprise her.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Hey! I had a lot of inspiration for that one! I can't promise that all the other chapters are going to be that long, but one can hope. Please let me know what you think. What do you think will happen?

I would also like to thank you for the nice reviews I got on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2

Sakura slowly opened her eyes when the sound of a river made it's way to her brain.

_A river?_

When did she get here? Then, all the memories of last night came crashing back and it felt like someone hit her in the guts. A single tear escaped her eye and went down her face. She gripped her heart trying to keep it together this time. After a few minutes, she was able to steady her breathing. Brushing her pink hair behind her ear to get it out of her eyes, she got on her feet.

The war took everything from her. Her parents, teammates, mentor…_ But it did not take your life_. Might as well have, because the pain of losing them all was unbearable. _Why them? Why all of them and not me?_ Once again, her pain turned into anger and she yelled out:

"Why did you leave me all alone?! Were you people too selfish to bring me with you? This-" with a large motion of her arm, she showed around her, " is not a life if I am here on my own. Why did you stupid men had to be the heros? You should have let me die." With a humorless chuckle that shook her shoulders, she continued. "I'd rather be dead then going on like this with this emptiness in my chest."

Her chuckle turned into a powerful cry of anger that resonated in the forest around her. Lost in the intense feeling, Sakura gathered chakra in her fists and punched the first tree she saw, which was enormous. It exploded with the sudden release of her precise controlled chakra. Pieces of the bark flew around her, cutting her arms and shoulder but she did not care. Breathing heavily, and crying her heart out, she punched her way through the trees like they were enemies. This lasted for a while until she dropped down on her knees in front of the river, almost in a state of chakra depletion. Her head was hanging low and her breathing was labored. She was exhausted, numb. Silent tears were rolling down her oval face, falling on the ground, mixing with the blood dripping of her arms and knuckles.

Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. Turning her head too fast to see what it was, she started to see black spots in her vision. Out of balance, her body fell forward and she ended up in the river, following the current, to exhausted to move and try to save herself. As the water rushed in her mouth and lungs, she smiled.

_I am on my way to you guys, wait for me…_

* * *

He was in the camp with Hashirama when he felt a strong chakra presence in the forest a few miles away. His head snapped up and he got out of the tent without a word. With a scowl on his face, he started to run in the direction of this unknown chakra signature to investigate it. Jumping from tree to tree with the speed only he had, he got to there in a matter of minutes. Concealing his chakra signature so the person could not feel his presence, he hid on a high branch. What he saw surprised him.

A young woman, probably around 19 years of age, was standing there. Her pink hair… _Pink?_ Were shoulder length. She was dressed in a simple black long sleeve shirt and black pants that were sticking close to her curves. Unusual, a woman with pants? She was definitely not from around here. The young woman was not really tall but the energy around her was quite impressive. It was hitting his sensor skills like waves crashing on a coast during a storm. She was a kunoichi, no doubts. Deadly at that.

His train of thought was stopped when a glimpse of deep green caught his attention. Her eyes were like emeralds… Beautiful. He heard her yell things about being alone and a desire to be dead. All in her posture showed she was in pain. What kind of loss had she suffered to look this defeated? Where was she from?

The white haired man did not have enough time to analyze information since a cry of agony brought his attention back to her. Not too long after, one of the biggest tree around exploded. Literally. Jumping on another branch to avoid being hit, his red eyes followed her every moves with interest. This tiny woman was now destroying the trees around her with her fist. Truly impressive. Not wearing his armor, it made it easy for him to move around in the trees so she could not see him. He moved around like that for a few hours when the girl finally dropped on her knees in front of the flowing water. His crimson eyes followed the blood dripping from her arms and he could see her shoulder shaking silently. Too focused on her, he did not realize he moved, breaking a branch under his foot. Suddenly, she snapped her head towards him. Her unfocused eyes met his briefly before she fell, unconscious in the water.

He looked at her, puzzled, while she slipped in the water. Standing there, he thought about the situation. What if she was a spy sent by other clans to leurre him out? The fact that he was a sensor was hardly a secret. What best way to get rid of him than a pink haired girl throwing a chakra tantrum outside the Senju camp? Tobirama put his hand through his white hair. He could still see the pink haired kunoichi floating down the river. Not moving. She was really drowning. What would be the purpose of that kind of trick if they were letting her die? Obviously, she was a strong shinobi and every clan would love to count on her strengths in their ranks. Throwing all prudence aside, he ran, jumped in the cold water and grabbed her, dragging her slowly towards the ground where he lifted her. She looked horrible with the cuts and bruises she had all over her arms and legs. For the first time, he saw the purple seal on her forehead.

_What is the meaning of this?_

There was only one clan that used this kind of seals. Now was not the time to focus on this detail. He knelt next to her and pushed her pink hair off her face, placing her head in a position that would make it easier for her to breathe. Bringing his ear on her chest, he tried to find a heartbeat. He found it, although it was really weak. Without thinking twice, he did some chest compression, hoping for the water to come out. Nothing happened. Rolling his eyes, he blew air in her mouth and did some more compression until she coughed out water. After a few labored breaths, she opened her eyes and looked around her. Everything was so fuzzy in her head and her lungs were burning… Looking to her right, she saw a man kneeling next to her but did not have time to focus her attention on him too long because her senses caught a dark presence behind her. _What the heck?! _

She turned her head and saw the glints indicating that a few kunais were coming their way. Without thinking, she tackled the man next to her. She was on her knees, her hands of each sides of his head, protecting him with her body. Not too long after, the sound of weapons piercing her flesh reached her ears. A blinding pain made her close her eyes tightly. She took in a shallow breath but it made her cough. Trying to send some healing chakra to her back, she remembered that she was almost out.

Sakura opened her eyes and saw white hair, red eyes fixed on hers. It was so blurry, she was so tired… Her body slumped on Tobirama's chest as she fell unconscious. It took Tobirama a few seconds to realize what happened but when he looked over her shoulder, he could see the five kunais embedded in her back. Why did she do that? Sensing around, he could tell that one ninja was hiding and three others were on their way to the river. _Uchihas_... Jumping on his feet, he grabbed Sakura's arm and lifted her on his back. She was so light, it would be easy to go full speed even while carrying her. He could not help but to wonder why she protected him. Also, how did she sense the threat when even him could not? Running through the trees, he took a lot of detours before stopping close to a small cave where he had left weapons and other essential equipment. He put the woman down and grabbed some of the clothes that were hidden. With decided movements, he ripped the clothes to make bandages.

Without any sort of hesitation, he took her shirt off and threw it away on the cave's floor. Using his canteen, he poured water on one of the makeshift bandages and took the kunais off her back one at the time, putting pressure on the wound after cleaning it, then he bandaged each wound tightly so the bleeding could stop. They still had a bit of traveling to do before to go back to the camp and he wanted to make sure she would not bleed out before they reached their destination. Once done, he sat back and looked at her. She looked so peaceful… And she did not have a shirt on. Realizing that he took it off to take care of her, he went and grabbed the black object. It was wet, soaked in blood and had a multitudes of holes in it, so he decided to just leave it there. Going a little further in the cave, he rummaged through the things he had left there a while ago and found one of his dark blue shirt. Coming back towards her, he gently dressed her, making sure not to move her too much.

Tobirama let his eyes trace the lines of her face, the curves of her lips.. She was an enigma and he would not get any answers until she wake up. With a low voice, he murmured:

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

In the middle of his thoughts, he tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and paused. Removing his hand like it burned, he scowled and got up. Picking her up slowly, he put her on his back and held her legs on each sides of his waist. He started running towards the camp and willed himself not to pay attention to the warm breath she was blowing on his neck. After ten minutes, he made it out in the clearing and flared his chakra so his brother knew he was back. Hashirama appeared and took in the sight of this weird pink mop of hair sticking out on the side of his brother's head.

"Where were you, brother?"

Walking towards Hashirama, Tobirama turned so his brother could have a better look at what or who was on his back.

"I felt her chakra a few miles from here. I do no know where she comes from but she has a seal on her forehead that I have only seen in the Uzumaki clan. But right now, brother, I need you to heal her. We got ambushed and she shielded my body with hers and got kunais on her back."

Hashirama smiled dumbly. His brother being ambushed? What a good joke. Looking in his brother's eyes, he could see the seriousness of the situation and his smile dropped. Tobirama started to walk towards his tent, his brother in tow. Once in the tent, he gently put Sakura down and laid her on her stomach so his brother could heal her back. Raising the large dark blue shirt, he untied the bandages and Hashirama's eyes widened in horror when he saw the deep gashes that started to bleed again. The Senju leader knelt next to the woman and as fast as he could, placed his hands on her back, sending clumsy healing chakra to the wounds. Slowly, the gashes closed up and the only things left were small white scars. Once his brother was done, Tobirama took a piece of cloth and dipped it in the water. He then washed her back and removed all the dried blood staining her porcelain skin. Funny that her skin was so soft when she was able to cause so much destruction with a single fist.

"So Tobi, can you tell me what happened for her to look like this?"

After realizing that he was staring at her bare back, Tobirama turned rapidly to his brother and told him the details of how he found her and how she was able to destroy one acre of land in a few minutes. How she yelled at no one about life, the fact that she almost drowned and her reflex when she tackled him to protect him.

"Well, that explains the state of her arms and legs… Did you see your attackers?"

With a deep frown and disgust in his voice Tobirama spat:

"Uchiha, who else? I could feel their darkness, though they were quite surprised to see someone else with me."

Hashirama brought a finger to his chin and thought about the situation. So many questions, no answers… He took a decision and looked at his brother with a glint in his eyes.

"Tobi, you stay here and watch over her. Once she wakes up, I want you to question her and find out as much as you can."

Without another word, Hashirama exited the tent and left his bother frowning next to the kunoichi.

* * *

Madara Uchiha stood in his tent, arms crossed on his chest while three of his clansmen were telling him about their scouting of the area. After what he heard, he was less than pleased with their work. He took a step forward and even if his face was not expressing any emotion, he radiated anger. His dark eyes flashed red and with a calm voice he asked:

"So you are telling me that Senju Tobirama was in the forest and you were not able to land a hit on him?"

The first clansman on his left gulped and averted his eyes, looking at the two other men next to him. One of them put his hands up, trying to calm the atmosphere. Uncertain and really nervous, he started blabbering.

"I was the first one on the scene. I was able to land a hit on that girl though, she was hard to miss with her pink hair. He took her and left right after, he was in a rush. I do not understand why the area was destroyed. The trees were down and in pieces and- "

The man was interrupted when Madara found himself standing an inch from his face, looking down.

"A woman? With the Senju? Are you sure she did not have brown hair?"

Shaking his head rapidly, the clansman looked into Madara's eyes.

"No sir, she had pink hair. I know what I saw. She is not a Senju."

Turning around abruptly, he wove his hand, sign for them to take their leave. The three of them ran out of the tent, not wanting to stay in when their leader was in a bad mood. A pink haired girl? That was ridiculous. He would have to send someone to investigate.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Madara called out for his brother. A few seconds later, Izuna walked in the tent. Turning towards him with a decided expression, Madara looked his brother in the eyes.

"Izuna, I want you to send someone to investigate the area where our men saw Tobirama and the girl. It looks like they added someone to their rank. She has pink hair. I want to know what is so special about her that even Tobirama takes some interest in her."

Izuna's eyes widened imperceptibly but her did not question his brother, he knew better. Nodding his head he turned around and left the tent.

Sitting down at his desk, Madara placed his elbow on the surface and his face on top of his joint hands.

_What are you up to Hashirama..._


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Yes, soon they will meet... but not yet! It's coming, I promise. I will try to post the next chapter this weekend, Monday at the latest! Thank you for your support, and I hope you'll enjoy this one! Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 3

After looking at the flap of his tent for a few minutes, he turned his attention back to the pink haired girl. His eyes widened a bit when he saw the blue coloring of her lips and the shaking of her body. The water of the river was really cold this time of the year, he totally forgot about that. He was about to take off her pants to dress her in something warmer but stopped, self-conscious, thinking about the position he was in. She was a woman with a reputation, he could not do such things being a male, alone with her in the tent at that. When he took her shirt off earlier it was different, she was wounded and it was urgent for him to do something about the bleeding, but now… Getting up he put a warm blanket over her and backed out of the tent to get one of the Senju woman to do it. A few minutes later, Ari entered his tent and took care of changing the woman into warmer clothes while he was standing outside. When she was done, Ari got out of the tent and looked at Tobirama with a questioning look. His stoic face and the hard look of his eyes made her forget about asking any questions and she walked away with a fast pace.

Pulling the flap of the tent up, he walked inside. The pink haired woman was still there, under a few blankets in warm and dry clothes. Ari also took the time to clean and bandage the wounds on her arms and legs. He knelt next to her let his red eyes wander on her face. He did not know where she was from but one thing was certain, he could not trust her yet, even if she saved him. His eyes could not go passed the purple seal on her forehead. Where did she learn this? Was it…

Green feverish eyes snapped open and in a fast motion, she was sitting up mumbling nonsense. Knitting her eyebrows like she was thinking about important things. Pained expression on her face, she turned her head his direction and her face softened immediately. She reached out to his face slowly which took a lot of effort. Watching her, Tobirama did not move, not sensing any kind of threat coming from her. Finally, she touched his cheek with a really warm hand and murmured with a silk soft voice:

"Kakashi…"

Getting her hand to his face probably took all of her energy, because moments later, her eyes rolled and she fell back asleep, with her head on the pillow. Tobirama was intrigued. He did not know this Kakashi person. He knew that he was probably someone of some importance in her life since her face was so peaceful when she saw him with her foggy brain. He could not help but feel a bit of sympathy towards this woman after seeing what he saw today. He knew he could not let his guard down but could not help to be curious about this strange woman.

Unrolling a blanket, he made a temporary bed next to hers and laid on it, closing his eyes to rest a bit.

* * *

_Sakura opened her eyes, everything around her was white and peaceful. She looked and saw a blooming cherry tree. A smile spread on her lips. The sun was warming her and the wind around her was like a caress._

_Where am I?_

_A movement caught her eye and she turned towards it. There, one a path, were people she never thought she would see again. Naruto, Sasuke,Kakashi, Tsunade, Mom and Dad! They were walking away from her. She could only see their back._

_"Wait for me!"_

_She started running so fast towards them but it felt like she couldn't get any closer despite all her efforts. She yelled their names and they stopped walking, turned around and looked at her with a peaceful smile. Sakura looked at all of them trying to remember the details of their faces. Tears were running down her face. She missed them so much. With her voice breaking she said:_

_"Please, wait for me.. I can't stay here on my own."_

_God, she missed them. She tried to walk forward, but bumped into an invisible barrier. Sakura started to pound on the wall with her fist. She needed to take them into her arms. Her mom looked at her with a tender smile and love shining in her eyes._

_"It's not your time yet darling. Make the best out of your life, I believe in you. This is your second chance at finding happiness. We love you so much!"_

_How could she say something like that? What good could come out of this life without all of them? She tried to step forward again, still trying to reach her loved ones but suddenly got pulled back until darkness surrounded her. An ethereal voice murmured in her head, but even if it was just a soft voice, it sounded so loud that her head was pounding:_

_"Save the one who dies in the past of your future… You will then be able to save the ones you love."_

* * *

As if electric current went through her body she jerked awake and sat up. Everything was so blurry, her head was so painful. She was hot. And cold. Everything just felt like a weird dream…Mumbling about her discomfort, she turned her head towards a person that was next to her. She knew him! How could it be? Gathering all her forces she lifted her hand and touched his face, making sure it wasn't an illusion.

"Kakashi…"

She felt her body shake and then, darkness took her again.

* * *

_Suddenly, she opened her eyes and was still in the middle of the war. Looking around her, there were only dead bodies. And lots of blood. Hers and everyone else's… She turned to her left and her eyes widened. Sasuke and Naruto were laying on the ground, not moving. This scene was so familiar… It was the moment she realized that the war was over, they won. But at what cost? She was so shocked, she could not move. The pain of a kunai stuck her arm made her move and that's when she desperately ran to her friends. Rapidly sending chakra into their bodies to look for injuries, she found out that Sasuke was dead, looking so peaceful. Naruto had so many open wounds.. And his heartbeat was so weak… But it was still there. Pushing more chakra through her hands she started to heal him just to realize that his body did not allow her to do so. He opened his eyes and when he saw her, he smiled weakly, tears shining in his bright blue eyes._

_"We did it Sakura-chan. You, me and Teme, like in the old times…"_

_Soon after he said that, he lost consciousness. She tried to push chakra in his body harder. She would save him. Even though she was doing everything she could, his body kept rejecting her help. Why isn't it working?! She could feel tears running freely down her cheeks… and his heartbeat stopped. She tried to revive him three times before someone pulled her away of his body._

_Slowly, like in a haze, she looked around again and saw Kakashi and Tsunade on the ground, eyes open, lifeless. Her body was shaking. She lifted her hands in front of her. They were full of blood. Too much blood.._

* * *

Tobirama had been watching over the pink haired kunoichi for the past two days now. Her fever was high and he was doing everything he could to keep it at bay. The past hour, the young woman was trashing in the bed, moving her head, breathing harshly. She had nightmares. Her face was expressing a profound distress. She shook her head and tears rolled out of her eyes. With a weak and broken voice she startled him when she said:

"No! So much blood.. Why is there so much blood?! Naruto, you idiot, don't you dare die on me!"

Still watching her with a stoic face, his eyes softened a bit and his heart clenched. He knew that kind of nightmares too well after being at war his whole life. Especially since his brothers died years back. His thoughts were interrupted when the woman started crawling with extended arms trying to reach something only her could see. While the blanket slid down on her body dressed in a yukata, he admired her curves for half a second before reaching out to her and bringing her back to the bed. He could feel her struggle against his chest and was surprised to feel the strength of her small body. She was putting quite a fight even in her weakened state. Still trying to get out of his grasp, she said weakly:

"I need to get to him and try again. Let me go! I can heal him. I can't let anyone else die…" a sob shook her whole frame and she tried to move again. In a swift motion, he pinned her down on the bed, holding her wrists and putting his weight on her so she could stop trashing in her feverish dream. Hardly breathing because of her sobbing she brought her forehead up to his chest and cried harder shaking her head weakly. He tried not to react to her closeness. It was well known that Tobirama Senju was not a fan of physical contact. He just could not push her away at this moment. After a while, her crying calmed down and she said with a voice so low that he almost missed it:

"Why do they always leave me behind.."

Her head fell back on the pillow and then, slowly, he let go of her to sit next to the bed. Something she said earlier stuck in his mind. _A healer?_ Healers were particularly rare in this time and he never heard of a pink haired one… Really, she was a mystery. He had a hard time to believe that she could be affiliated to any clans, she was too fragile. At least, she looked fragile, he knew how deadly she could be. Taking a cloth, he dipped it in cold water and washed her face, slowly pushing her hair behind her ear with his finger. For a second, he was troubled by the softness of her skin. Tobirama looked outside and saw the darkness was set. It was time to try and get some sleep. As he did the past few days, he installed his temporary bed next to hers and laid on it. Still keeping his senses alert, he closed his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: Here is the chapter you were all waiting for! Again, I got carried away a bit. I hope you enjoy that one! Also for the purpose of that story, Sakura is 19 going on 20 and Tobirama is 26.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 4

She woke up feeling horrible. It literally felt like she sparred with Lee for hours. Her whole body was sore and her head was pounding. _Chakra exhaustion will get to ya!_ She was used to it, since the war. Keeping her eyes closed, Sakura took a deep breath. This bed smelled so good. Like rain in the summer and pine tree. It was soft and comfortable... Slowly, she pushed some chakra in her hands, which made them glow with a soft green color. Before she could bring her hand to her temples, someone roughly grabbed her arm and pinned it next to her head. Annoyed, she sighed.

"It hurts like hell, let me…" Then her green eyes met red ones and her mouth fell open. Not able to speak, she just stared. Red eyes, white hair, red marking on his cheeks and chin, blue armor… _what is the second Hokage doing here?!_ She met him briefly during the war when he was reanimated, but the man in front of her was alive, far from being a reanimation. _Is this some kind of bad joke? Genjutsu?_ With a "Kai!" she tried to dispel the genjutsu but the man was still there and looking through her with piercing eyes. With a deep voice, he talked, startling her.

"State your name and affiliation, woman."

_Woman?_ This felt too real to be a dream. Of course, she knew who he was and the fact that he was supposed to be DEAD. Also, he looked younger than his reanimation. Way younger. In his twenties maybe? Sakura took in her surroundings. A tent? Focusing back her attention to the man before her, she could only open and close her mouth like a fish. _Maybe if I close my eyes, he'll disappear… Am I going crazy?_ Closing her eyes tightly, she waited a few seconds and reopened them. Still there…_ I might definitely be going insane…_ Shaking her head to put her thoughts back into place, she was finally able to voice a question.

"Where in the heck am I?"

Tobirama frowned and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms on his chest, making him look even more impressing. The woman barely woke up and was already starting to be a pain! He took in the sight of her disheveled hair and confused expression.

"You are at the Senju camp. You were drowning in the river, I got you out and brought you here. Now, name and affiliation, kunoichi."

The Senju camp? She took her head in her hands and tried to control her breathing. If she was in the Senju camp, it meant that Konoha was not founded yet, right? How is this possible? Probably a nightmare, right? She pinched her arms really hard and hissed. No. She was definitely awake. Seeing her pinching herself, Tobirama raised and eyebrow and annoyed, he took her chin in his hand and turned her head his way brutally.

"My patience has limits. Answer. The. Question."

His voice was sharp like a knife. It was her last warning. She tried to avoid his look and he jerked her face back towards him, still holding her chin until she did not have any other choice than to look in his eyes. What could she tell him? Hell, she did not even know herself what was going on. She was obviously not in a dream or stuck in any genjutsu. They did not teach anything about that at the Academy, otherwise she would know what to do when being face to face with someone that was supposed to be dead but that clearly was ALIVE and ANGRY. Could it be? Could she really be in the past? At the thought, her stomach did a back flip. No. It wasn't possible. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage. Her voice sounded way more determined than what she felt at the moment.

"Sakura… Just Sakura, no affiliation."

Technically, it was true. The Haruno was hardly a clan. He looked deep in her eyes for a few seconds then let go of her chin. Sakura... What a fitting name, considering the color of her hair. Still on his guard, he continued to watch her. She shivered under the scrutiny of his look. She knew he was an impressive man because she read about him plenty of time, but right now, she could definitely understand why he was mentioned as one of the best shinobi ever. _They never mentioned how handsome he was though._. Her thought made her blush lightly. His presence was filling the whole room, crushing her. He looked quite imposing with the happuri framing his face and his armor. Thinking about what she said, he came to the conclusion that she was not lying about her name and affiliation. There was more to her than what she was letting on, that was for sure. Medic nin? No clan? He was skeptical.

"I find it hard to believe that you are not affiliated to any clan. You are a healer and a shinobi, allow me to find the thought highly improbable and totally ridiculous."

She glared at him when she heard the sarcasm in his voice and turned her head away from him. _The history books did not mention that he was a jerk._ How did he know about her abilities? Then she remembered her tantrum in the forest and her attempt to heal her headache. All of that made he remember the reason of her battle against the trees and the light in her eyes dimmed. Yeah, she did not have any affiliation. Not anymore. Eyes lost in the past (or future?), she turned back not looking at him directly, but at a point over his shoulder.

"I… I was a part of a village once. War happened, the village was destroyed and people died. So no, I am not lying when I am telling you that I have no affiliation whatsoever. If I still had one, it died with my teammates and family on the battlefield."

Technically, the village was still standing, but since everyone dear to her died, it was not a village anymore. Her heart was aching. She clenched her jaw and brought her hand to her chest. Still watching her, the gesture did not go unnoticed. So it was true. She lost everything. No one could fake that kind of grief. He still did not trust her but believed her when she said not being part of any clan. He would have to talk with his brother to see what they were going to do about her.

Snapping out of her sad thoughts, she met the gaze of the man in front of her. He was tall, serious and cold. Even if she basically knew everything about the founders of her village, she had to act like she was clueless, because, let's be honest, she did not know what the heck was going on either way. Might as well play the game.

"I gave you my name,_ shinobi_, do I have to guess yours or will you introduce yourself like a decent person would?"

To be questioned on his manners, especially after making sure she survived for the past few days made a flash of anger fly through his eyes. Keeping a cold face, he could not help to be surprised with the tone she used to talk to him. No one ever talked to him that way. People were normally treating him with utmost respect. She was blunt and he did not know how to feel about that.

"Senju Tobirama"

She glanced at him, amused. _Serious much?_ This man is a freaking walking statue. Seeing the spark in her eyes he raised an eyebrow. Her head still painful. Frowning a bit, she sent chakra to her hands and brought them to her temples, taking her pain away under the interested look of one Senju. Her eyes moved down to her arms and she saw the bandages. Slowly, she removed them, uncovering soft and creamy skin marked with scratches and deep cuts. Hovering her glowing hands over her arms, she healed each injuries until the only visible thing left on her skin were fine little white scars.

Not caring about the man in the room, she pushed the blanket off her legs and raised the yukata mid-thigh, removing the bandages on her legs. Tobirama was watching her, fascinated about her chakra control and the way she could heal a deep cut efficiently and rapidly. He never saw anything like this. Hashirama's clumsy healing and that kind of work were totally different. He was so absorbed in his contemplation that he did not realized what she was doing until he saw her naked legs and the yukata dangerously high on her thigh. His eyes followed the fine ankles, the curves of a calf… Feeling a bit warm, he excused himself and quickly with a rushed voice he mumbled:

"Let me know when you are done with that, I will be outside."

She was about to answer but he was already out. Weird. With a shrug of her shoulders, she continued her healing session. She did not know how to feel about the man. He looked emotionless, but his eyes were talking more than he probably wanted them to. She was pretty good about reading stone faced men after all. Other than that, he was really handsome, but could be even more if he would lose the frown he seemed to wear all the time. Letting her thought wander, she finished her task in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Outside of the tent, Tobirama was pacing, still feeling a bit flustered about what he saw. The heat on his face receded. Since when, he, Senju Tobirama, was flustered as the sight of a woman? He knew women and most of them were trying too hard to catch his attention. This woman there, caught his attention without even trying. She was just tending to her wounds for god's sake. _It must be because I am tired_. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and stood next to the tent's entrance. He lifted his head and his eyes locked with his brother's who was looking at him with a knowing expression. Quickly to avoid any questions, Tobirama told his brother what he learned about the woman, which wasn't much. Hashirama was definitely intrigued… about her and his brother's reaction.

* * *

After a few minutes, Sakura was done healing her legs so she called him back inside. He entered with someone else following him. The other man had a pleasant face, tanned, long brown hair and warm dark eyes. It was not hard for her to put a name on the face, since he looked exactly like the sculpture situated in the Valley of the End. Hashirama Senju, first Hokage and god among shinobi. Her heart clenched when her eyes met his. He was looking at her with the same warmth Tsunade had in in her eyes when she was proud. Being near her master's grandfather was quite surreal, if she was being honest!

If she had to compare the men before her, Tobirama would be the moon, cold, serious and pale…. And his brother would definitely be the sun: warm and happy. Both powerful and different but complementing each other perfectly. The brown haired man looked at her with a curious expression. She definitely had vibrant eyes and her skin was pale with no imperfections which was telling him a lot about her healing abilities.

"So you are the woman that Tobi was keeping for himself these past few days! My name is Hashirama, I am his brother. I know, I am the handsome one!"

Behind him, Tobirama was scowling, arms crossed on his chest. Sakura though she heard him mumble "You are definitely not the smartest one…" And she could not help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. Her face reddened when she thought about the way the Shodaime was talking to her with such familiarity.

"So Tobi here tells me that you are a healer but do not have a clan? Well, we always need people with good medical knowledge here, so you are more than welcome to stay here at the Senju camp, as long as you help us with your abilities."

Tobirama's eyes widened imperceptibly.

"Hashirama, you do n…"

Waving his hand dismissively, Hashirama cut his brother.

"Last time I checked, I am still the clan leader. Poor Sakura-chan here has nowhere to go. I trust her, since she already saved your life once, and unless she proves me that she does not deserve my trust, she can stay here. If you are worried about her, you can follow her around."

She could not believe what she was hearing. The first Hokage wanted her to stay and help them. This was crazy. It made her feel useful and the fact that the request came from such an important person was incredible. She would serve them until her last breath if needed, since they were the closest connection she had with Konoha. It was not a dream, right? Her brow furrowed. What did he mean when he said that she saved the second's life? She would remember if she did such thing. Raising her hand shyly, Sakura cleared her throat and asked, unsure:

"I saved your brother's life? I do not recall doing anything like this…"

Amused Hashirama glanced rapidly behind him at his brother and with a smile looked back at Sakura.

"I am sure Tobi would like to forget this too since it probably hurts his pride but you did save him. You do not remember getting hit by kunais while shielding him with your body?"

She had a vague memory of the river and coughing up water, but she did not remember much. With a thoughtful expression, she reached to touch her back and then it came back. The sound of her flesh being pierced and the pain when she was breathing. Her eyes widened and she turned her face abruptly towards Tobirama who was looking away pouting and then to Hashirama with an unbelieving expression on her face. He looked at her playfully.

"Remember now?" He had a deep laugh that made Tobirama visibly cringe and continued. "So, Sakura-chan, I do not know what your plan is with your future, but you can stay here as long as you need to. We can show you the camp tomorrow, but for now, we had a tent prepared for you so you can rest and give back his bed to my brother!"

Wait a second! She was in the Nidaime's bed?! Looking up she met his red gaze and her face heated. Getting her attention back to Hashirama she nodded. She still could not wrap her head around the situation... Hashirama presented her his hand and helped her to get on her feet. He then called Ari, who was standing outside of the tent. The woman in her forties with long brown hair and a soft face entered. She was carrying a pile of clothes, wooden hair brush and some women essentials. With a gentle smile, she gave everything to Sakura.

"Here, we gathered as much as we could. You should be good for now, but if you need anything, you can let me know. Now come with me, I will show you where you'll stay."

Trying to smile but failing poorly, Sakura murmured a small "Thank you." She turned her head towards Hashirama, who was behind her and bowed respectfully.

"I would like to thank you, Hashirama-sama, for your hospitality, you can expect me in the medical tent as soon as tomorrow morning. I will make sure you do not regret your decision of letting me stay here." She said the last part glancing at the white haired Senju pointedly, which did not go unnoticed by Hashirama.

In silence, she followed Ari outside. The camp was surprisingly big with all the rows of tents. The bigger one towards the end was definitely used for the injured. Once she got out of Tobirama's tent, all eyes were on her and the conversations stopped. She looked around, ready to give them a death glare but all she saw in their eyes was curiosity and caution. She could not blame them, it was not every day that the leaders were bringing back a pink haired kunoichi to the camp.

The walk to her tent was quite short and looking at its emplacement, she quickly understood why. It was directly behind the Nidaime's. _Oh yeah, he does not trust me yet._ Holding the fabric to the side, Ari motioned her to enter. When she got in, she quickly assessed all the things that were in there. A wooden chest to put her belonging, a bed on the ground, some papers and some ink, a small bathtub and some linens. Honestly, she did not need more.

Turning towards the door to thank Ari, she realized that she already left. Looking at the pile of clothes, she found her black pants, but not her shirt. Instead, there was an oversize deep blue shirt, interesting. Putting her belonging into her chest, she laid in bed. Everything about the situation she was in came crashing at once and she cried for a while before falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Hashirama was still standing in his brother's tent looking around. He rapidly met his younger brother's furious gaze.

"What did I do?"

Seething, Tobirama answered with a low and dangerous voice.

"You offered an important position within our clan to a stranger. A position of trust. Have you thought about the fact that she might be a spy who's mission is to infiltrate us? What about the safety of our people?"

Hashirama rarely saw his brother losing his temper like he just did. Earlier, while talking to the young woman, he did not feel any threat coming from her. It's like she already knew where her loyalty laid, and he was pleased to say that she was on their side. With a playful smirk, Hashirama looked at his brother.

"Your pride is just hurt because a young, pretty and strong kunoichi saved your life from an attack that you never saw coming. I am sure we can trust her. Beside, to whom is she dangerous, brother? Our people or the thick wall you built around your heart?" Avoiding a shuriken thrown his way, Hashirama made a swift exit through the door, his laugh echoing outside.

Tobirama ran a hand on his face and sighed deeply. He was in for a ride. Sitting on the corner of his bed, he took off his armor thinking about pink hair and green eyes. He could not shake the feeling that she was going to cause them some trouble.

Trying to think about something else, he laid in his bed, hand behind his head. A sweet and flowery smell seemed to float around and all his thoughts went back to her. He realized that this sweet scent, was HERS. Pushing the pillow aside, he closed his eyes. On top of disturbing his day to day life, she had to leave girly smells on his things! You can imagine his frustration when he woke up, the morning after, nose buried in his pillow...


	5. Chapter 5

Note: This is not my best chapter, but I promise, I am getting somewhere. This could be seen as a transition. I am currently working on 4 different chapters that you will love! Either way, I still hope you like that one. Thank you:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 5

Sakura was pulled out of her sleep by the sound of birds chirping outside. The memories of what happened the day before flew through her mind. Sitting abruptly, she realized that she was still in the tent, wearing this weird yukata. Yes, she was hoping that once she would wake up, she would be back in her small apartment in her beloved village. She groaned and clenched her fist in her hair.

"Why am I still here?"

Chasing the unpleasant thoughts, she slid out of bed and grabbed clean clothes, a towel and her brush. Then she realized that she did not have anything to put water in her tub to take a bath. She missed pipes and running water so much at this moment! _River it is!_ Without a sound, she got out of her tent and saw that it was really early in the morning because of the darkness. With a slow pace, she made her way to a small river close to the camp. Her muscles were protesting since it was the first kind of exercises she was getting for the past few days.

Making a quick decision, she stood in a fighting stance and practiced her taijutsu without her chakra enhanced strength. Going through the familiar motions made her feel better and the feeling of her muscles contracting with each strike calmed her. No matter how many things changed, this was still the same. Small comfort, but she would take anything right now. The only thing that bothered her was that yukata, obstructing her movements. She missed her practical shinobi outfit like she never thought she would!

After a good hour practicing, she was sweating profusely. Taking off the her clothes, she dipped her foot in the river and shivered. Before to lose her courage, she dove in the water, trying to bite back a gasp when the cold liquid entered in contact with her warm body. As fast as she could, she washed herself thoroughly and got out to dry herself. Trembling, she put on the deep green yukata she brought with her and brushed her hair, leaving it to fall freely on her shoulders.

Everything around her was peaceful, the sun was barely rising, so she decided to enjoy her time alone a little longer. Sitting on grass, she closed her eyes and started meditating. Her seal still needed a bit of chakra before to be full so she focused her attention on diverting her chakra flow to it. Too focused on her task, she did not see the sharingan watching her from afar…

* * *

Madara sent one of his man to investigate the area where the pink haired girl was seen a few days prior. The area was destroyed, but other than that, he did not have any other thing to report to him. The leader then asked his brother to patrol the area every day, to make sure his men did not miss anything. That's when Izuna felt a warm presence that was not a Senju or one of his clan a few miles from where he was. Masking his chakra, he made his way to the place he could sense the weird energy. Hiding behind a bush, he glanced around and his eyes locked on the color pink.

She was sitting calmly on the river bank with her eyes closed. Her soft pink hair were blowing in the small breeze. She looked so small and defenseless… Activating his sharingan, he took a step back. She had so much chakra. How could someone have so much of it? Then he saw the purple diamond on her forehead. What was the purpose of it? Feeling a strong chakra presence making its way closer to the girl, the Uchiha quickly left, wondering where this woman was coming from. He had to report this to his brother. It looked like the Senjus gained a powerful ally…

* * *

Satisfied with the levels of charka in her seal, Sakura opened her eyes. She got back on her feet, stretching after sitting that long on the ground. With a comfortable pace, she made her way back to the camp and started wandering around. It was quiet, and when she surveyed the area, she knew why. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and were staring at her intently. For once she did not like to have pink hair. She was feeling different, she was different and they made her feel it very well. She was missing home so much… Then she remember that this place here was the closest she could be from home at the moment.

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura did not realize it when Hashirama matched his pace with hers. He saw the way people were looking her way and decided to make her feel more comfortable.

"They will get used to see you around, don't think about it too much Sakura-chan." Startled, she side stepped. Turning her head to face him better, she bowed respectfully.

"I know. I just feel like I am out of place. Their looks just remind me that I am far from everything I have ever known."

"You miss your home, don't you?"

Nodding her head she kept walking between the tents silently. Hashirama gave her a curious look.

"What was your village like, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sakura dropped her head slightly and thought about the question. For a few minutes, she stayed silent, which made Hashirama uncomfortable. He was about to tell her that she did not have to answer, but a small smile found her lips. Her eyes were bright while she was reminiscing.

"It was peaceful. Civilians and shinobis were living in harmony. Everyone had a chance at becoming ninjas, which is why I am one today. I wanted to protect this home of mine. So I went to the academy to become one. My parents were civilians, they did not understand my motivations at all but they supported me as best as they could. My village is really great.. Was." Her smile fell.

"I am sorry Sakura-chan. I did not mean to make you feel sad. I was just curious to see how someone like you became such a strong person. You can talk to me if you need to. Losing something as important as a village is difficult and I just want you to know that you do not have to fear talking to us."

A small smile was directed his way and she nodded her head. It felt good to know that she had someone to talk to, but she could not let him know about anything else regarding the village. Which is the reason why she decided not to talk about it again. They walked in a comfortable silence for a while. He could see that the subject was still to be avoided but was happy if he could help her in any way.

"So, pardon my bluntness, but while you had a fever, Tobirama mentioned you thought he was another man… Kakashi I think. Was he one of your suitors?"

At the ridiculous question, Sakura snorted and started laughing. Hashirama could not help the small giggle that escaped his lips when he felt the flare in his brother's chakra not to far from them. Her laugh was sweet and soft, like the sound of tinkling bells and it moved something within his brother to make him react this way. A fond smile spread across her lips.

"Kakashi was my sensei, more like a father figure, really. Once we graduated at the Academy, we were put in three man squads and were assigned a sensei. Poor Kakashi was stuck with us for years and-" Her laugh turned a bit sad and her eyes dulled. "He died during the war. He was a great person, always late, but always there when you needed him the most."

Shaking the bad thoughts that flowed in her mind, she turned back to Hashirama, trying her best to look like she was alright.

"Would you please show me the medical tent?"

Seeing her need to change subject, he nodded. Once she turned her head to continue her way forward, he gave her a sidelong glance and his eyes softened. She was chewing on her lower lip and her eyes were welling up with tears. He acted like he did not see her lose her composure, she did not need his pity right now.

By time they reached tent, she was able to get her emotions under control. He brought her inside and with great attention to details, she examined the material she would have to work with. Everything was outdated, but she was not in her time anymore so she could not expect the best like when she had a fully functional hospital to her disposition. Facing Hashirama, she nodded her head, satisfied with the inventory of medical supplies.

Together, they walked out and a glimpse of white caught her attention. Not too far from where they were standing, Tobirama was sharpening his kunai. Their eyes clashed and she did not miss the disapproval in his expression. Focusing back on his weapon with an impatient huff, he did not see her disappointment.

"I have the feeling that Tobirama-sama does not like me at all." She gave a sheepish grin to the brown haired man next to her. Not that she needed the second Hokage's approval, but being from a village where he was a hero, it was hard to know that he did not count her as an ally.

"You can't blame him, he is always overly cautious. With the Uchiha clan attacking from time to time, he is suspicious of everything that is new, which is you in this instance. Give him some time, he will come around." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"You mentioned the Uchihas… Have you ever thought about proposing a truce?" Hashirama gave her a wistful smile.

"Madara and I were friends when we were young and we dreamed of a village where both clans could live peacefully together, where we would not need to send children to the battle. Then we became leaders of our clans and this dream was forgotten. It might be foolish but I still have hope that he will join me and we can start something meaningful that benefits both clans."

"I think it's a great quality to see hope in the future. My village was the kind of place that you are dreaming about. It is possible. With a lot of hard work, you can achieve it. I would do anything to help this dream of yours to come true." Hashirama beamed at her. He reminded her so much of Naruto. The same hopeful and warm personality. Still smiling, he stopped walking and faced her.

"If anything were to happen, it would not be you responsibility to do anything about it. These old disputes are ours to handle. If you could only help us by saving our men, it would be enough."

"Of course Hashirama-sama. I will now let you go about your day and start my work here. Thank you for everything."

She bowed and went back in the medical tent to help the injured people. To be back doing what she was meant to do made her feel better. Her thoughts went back to the brown haired man. He was really a good person and it did not surprise her to think that he was selected to be the first Hokage. He always saw the best in every situation and was a dreamer. He had many plans for a better world.

* * *

It was late when she got out of the medical tent, her stomach rumbling. She remembered that she hadn't had anything to eat that day. She made her way to the center of the camp where she was told food was served at night, and once she appeared, all conversation stopped. Again. She went and grabbed some rice and meat, avoiding everyone's gaze. Hashirama cleared his throat and got the attention of his clan. Motioning his arm in her direction, he started.

"I would like to introduce you to Sakura. She is a healer and will be available in the medical tent to take care of any injuries you might have. I trust you to treat her like a friend to the clan."

She could hear the murmurs and their eyes on her, heavy. Sakura faced the crowd and bowed before turning and gliding out of the gathering to go back to her tent. Red eyes followed her until she was out of sight.

Getting in her tent, she tried to eat her food but it felt like she was chewing ash. Her mind went back to the reaction people had when they saw her. She should have reacted differently. She should have showed them that she was a strong kunoichi not to be messed with. If Naruto was there, he would have showed them not to underestimate him. Naruto. She would give everything she could to hear one of his stupid rambling about ramens.

The events of the day felt too real to be a dream or some sort of sharingan induced dream. She had to make peace with the fact that she might never go back home. But it was so hard. If she was getting too comfortable here, she felt like she would be abandoning her friends and their memories. How was she supposed to start another life in another place without the ones she loved? _You can try to let new people in? _No. She could not, because they would leave her too one day... They always left.

Tears falling from her eyes, she wiped them furiously. She was better than that. She was not the weak girl from before. She was Tsunade's apprentice, one of the new Sannin. She could get through it. She would do her job and try not to get attached to the people around her. Determined, she went to bed and fell asleep rapidly.

* * *

Tobirama's eyes were rooted on the spot where she disappeared from the gathering. There was something about her that did not sit well with him and he did not know what it was… This morning, he felt her leave the camp and followed her after a few minutes. He saw her train and was surprise by the force behind her attack and the fluidity of her movements. Being a gentleman, he turned around when she went in the water to clean herself. When she was done, he brought his focus back to her and was mesmerized by her eyes. The deep green yukaka she was wearing was accentuating their emerald color. He stared for a while and then realized she was getting ready to meditate. He could feel her chakra pulsing. An enormous amount of it. He would have to ask her question about her seal, but could not at the moment since he was still frustrated for some reason. _Maybe because you woke up snuggling in your pillow? _

Rolling his eyes, he shoved a ball of rice in his mouth.

He had followed her and his brother when they were walking through the camp and was surprised how easily she could talk with Hashirama. Tobirama tried ask her questions the day before and the only thing he got was some direct answers and sarcasm, nothing coming close to the emotional information she shared with his brother today. How did his brother manage to get her to talk about her village was a mystery. His displeasure amplified when he heard her laugh and was surprised by the softness of it and the way it made his heart skip a beat.

"I saw you following us today. Anything I should be aware of?" Tobirama's eyes met his brother's and he shook his head.

"I was doing it for our clan's safety. She did not prove she could be trusted yet. You seemed to have a good time with her, brother. " There it was, Hashirama's playful smirk he hated so much.

"Are you jealous? She is an amazing young woman and is more talkative when people are nice to her. You should give her a chance, she did not have an easy life recently."

"Nn"

Their silence continued for a while. Thinking about the past few days, Tobi could not help the nagging feeling in his chest when he thought about their enemies. With a guarded expression, he voiced his concerns.

"Hashirama, I have a bad feeling about the Uchihas. They've been too quiet lately, which leads me to believe they are up to something. We should send some men to scout the area to make sure everything is in order."

"Yes. I had the same thoughts.. I will send three men out first thing tomorrow morning."

Nodding his head, Tobirama got up, brushed the dust from his pants and left to get some rest. He hoped he was wrong, but he ad a bad feeling about the Uchihas...


	6. Chapter 6

Note: I am really inspired this week! I can't promise I will always post updates this fast, but hey, one can only dream! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Chapter 6

A week passed before Hahirama decided to send some of his men out. The Senju men left early that morning with orders to scout around and report anything out of the ordinary. Hashirama made it clear that they were not to get too close to the Uchiha camp. He did not want them to take any unnecessary risks. They all nodded and went on their way.

* * *

"Sir, we sensed two, possibly three Senju men around our camp. What are your orders?"

The leader of the Uchiha clan looked up, his hair hiding his right eye.

"Follow them close. Once you have an opportunity, I want you to attack them. The more casualties, the better."

"Hai!"

He would send the Senju a clear message: don't even think about getting closer to the Uchiha clan. He could not forget the moments he spent with Hashirama and their dreams of a united village counting different clans, but it was war. Especially since Hashirama brought back this pink haired girl who could cause so much destruction. He had to act as a leader and continue on the path his father started. With a sigh, he brought his attention back at the scroll he was reading. _Maybe one day it won't be like this…_

* * *

For the past week, Sakura had been going to the medical tent every day, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was indeed in the past. Still in denial, she tried not to think about the situation too much. Every day, she wore yukatas and she did not like it one bit. It was not practical when she was healing and offered her no range of motion. If anything were to happen she would not be able to defend herself.

Sakura was healing the clan's women, men and children and that is all she did. They could see her grabbing food from time to times but other than that, she never tried to talk to anyone. Falling back in her old patterns, she worked until, exhausted, she had to go lay down. It helped her, in a way, not to think about her life too much. About everything she lost.

Tobirama was following her everywhere and realized that whatever happened in her village took a toll on her. She was always looking in a past that she only could see and her eyes were dull. She barely smiled and was doing what needed to be done. She did not try to be friendly with anyone and when people were trying to talk to her, she was just turning away and leaving. Gone was the girl who laughed with his brother just a week ago. He did not like it one bit.

Waking up this morning, she looked in her chest and saw the blue yukata on top of the pile. _No way I am wearing this today. _Digging a bit, she found her black pants and a dark blue shirt. Her eyes widened a bit. She did not even remember that she had those. Happily, she put on her pants and grabbed the dark blue shirt given to her by Ari. She was surprised with the softness of the material once she pulled it over her head. It was a bit too big, but once she tucked it in her pants, it looked great. She took her hair tie and put it on her wrist and got out of her tent, ready to go and practice her taijutsu before starting work.

Walking slowly, she started thinking about all the events that brought her to this point. How did she end up here? She was visiting her childhood home and out of nowhere, she woke up years in the past, when her village was not even a thing. _All of this is giving me a headache_.

Not wanting to be alone with her thoughts, she started to make her way to the forest towards her training spot. The sooner she would get to it, the sooner she would stop thinking about this mess of a situation. At least, for the time being.

Since she started her work as the clan healer, she did not have any deadly injuries to treat. Is was mostly lots of broken bones, some cuts and bruises. Staring at the ground in front of her, her head snapped up when she heard people yelling and pained moans. From where she was, she could see people being transported to the medical tent. Her ear caught a a few words like "Uchiha" and "ambush". Her eyes locked with Hashirama's and she understood that the situation was bad… As fast as she could, she made her way through the crowd, trying to get inside the tent. She did not see the man that was shadowing her. Tobirama saw the way her posture changed from somewhat relaxed to ready for battle in a fraction of a second and her decided footsteps when she was getting to the tent. It wasn't hard to see that she was in her element.

When she got in, the smell of blood was overpowering. Trying to see what was going on, she got pushed roughly to the side while people were bringing cloths to stop someone's bleeding. Over the cries of the patient and the yells of the medical staff, she used a commanding voice that got everyone's attention.

"Can someone tell me what happened?! I need the details of what has been done so far."

Everyone stopped walking and running and they turned around to see her cold and focused green eyes assessing the situation. No one talked, so she made her way closer to the patient and started to analyze what she could see. A man, Senju, laying on the table with multiple cuts, probably made by a katana. The bigger cut was traveling across his chest, about twelve inches long from his right pectoral to the middle of his abdomen. She could see profound stab wound lower on is left side, it definitely missed the heart but probably punctured his lung. He was still breathing but would not be able to do so very soon. Her thought was confirmed when she heard a gurgling sound and blood started to flow out of his mouth.

Quickly, she shoved people out of the way and put her hair into a messy bun over her head, medic mode on. She brought her glowing hands to the man's body and started to push chakra in him for a quick diagnosis but was brutally stopped when a woman punched her in the face. Sakura fell on the ground under the impact. _Did not see that one coming._ The woman positioned herself between Sakura and the dying man, furious.

"I don't know you. There is no way I will let you touch my brother. They might let you live here, but it does not mean that you are a part of our clan." those words were spat with so much venom that it flared Sakura's own anger.

The room was deadly quiet. No one realized Tobirama, standing in the corner, hidden in the shadows. He raised his eyebrow. Technically, the woman was right. Sakura was not part of the clan, she was just voicing what some of their people thought, including him. He stayed hidden, curious to see how the pink haired medic would react to the affront. Seeing the hard look she was sending the woman's way, he could only expect the worst.

Sakura spat blood on the ground. She was pissed, to say the least. Slowly getting up like nothing happened, she brushed the dust off her pants, ignoring the pounding pain of her jaw. Her eyes locked with the woman's. The Senju took a step back under the intense and intimidating gaze of Sakura's green orbs. Even if she was a good head smaller than the Senju, her stance was daring her to try again and her eyes were full of resolve and burning anger. Tobirama could see how great of an opponent she could be on a battlefield. She was analyzing the situation even under strong emotions and she could keep her temper in check. He was impressed. With a voice that could cut through steel, she stated, making the other woman shiver:

"I could not care less about being part of this clan. I've never belonged to any clan and am doing just fine on my own. What I know is that I have a job to do and right now, you are in my way. If my calculations are accurate, your brother has five, maybe ten minutes left to live, if he is lucky, since he can't breathe with all the blood in his lungs. You can either fight with me and let him die, or let me heal him. The choice is yours, but without my help, he won't survive, because believe me, I am damn good at what I do."

Waiting in front of the woman, Sakura stared straight into her eyes without flinching. Resigned, the lady moved to the side and let the medic pass without a word. Shoving the Senju woman to the side, she stood next to the patient. Tobirama was impressed with her self-control. She did not even retaliate with a blow of her own. He continued to watch her silently.

Glowing green hands were working confidently, like she did it a million times, on the worst stab wound. Closing her eyes, she focused on repairing the lung, knitting the cells back together. After being done with that part, she rapidly but efficiently closed the cut, putting back the muscles and the skin together with her warm chakra. With her elbow, she wiped the sweat on her forehead and went back to work. Her brow furrowed. There was a small trace of poison stuck in the lung tissue. Without looking around, she asked for a few water bowls and listed herbs that needed to be mixed into it. People worked around her and got the mixture ready in no time.

"I need to get all the poison out of his lungs. You four, hold him down, he won't like that part. It'll be painful."

With the voice she used, no one tried to talk back, she obviously knew what she was doing. Without hesitation, four people, including the man's sister, were pinning his body down. With her hands still glowing, she hovered one of them over the mixture. A bubble of water stuck under her hand in a perfect sphere molder by chakra. Looking around, she made sure people were ready. Blowing a strand of her hair out of her eye, she pushed the water through the skin and in the lungs. The man's body jerked dangerously and shook under the pain. Slowly with her other hand, she pulled the water out. What came out was dark purple and thick. She dropped the stained water into another bowl and redid the procedure three times until the water came out clear.

Shaking slightly after her efforts, she put her hand on the man's chest and let a strand of chakra seep into his body to see how he was doing. He had a strong and rapid heartbeat. Satisfied, she stood up and continued to heal the other open wounds on the man's body. Tobirama saw the slight trembling of her hands while she did that.

Everyone was stunned. The wounds turned into fine scars and after two hours of procedure, it looked like nothing happened to the man who was now sleeping peacefully.

If he was man to show his emotions, Tobirama's jaw would probably be on the ground right now. What an amazing chakra control she had. The only thing that could show his admiration was the slight raise of one eyebrow. He thought he'd seen all of her talents in the forest when he found her, but how wrong he was!

He was as surprised as anyone else. Normally when she was coming to the medical tent, he stopped following her. He never saw her healing the injured. Being there all along, watching her keeping her self control after the punch she got and during the whole procedure was terribly fascinating. Like she was a different person. Her focus was impressive, she was giving orders like she was used to it and people did not argue with her at all. Even with her small frame, she radiated confidence and professionalism. That kunoichi was something else. They had talented healers, but none of them could do what Sakura did. She probably seen worse while her village was at war, that, he was sure of. He did not miss the fact that her hands were shaking after her efforts or the way she almost lost her balance while moving to the other patient.

The other Senju was doing better, he only had a broken wrist and a few minor cuts. She delicately took his wrists in her hand and the chakra illuminated them again. Mending the bone took fifteen minutes and her chakra wavered for a split second. Tobirama frowned. She was almost at her limit. Moving the wrist in circular movement and from side to side, she made sure that he had a good range of motion. She then healed the cuts. With a calm voice, she told the man:

"Make sure not to push yourself too much for the next few days, your wrist might be tender for a while."

The man nodded and she turned around swiftly, aiming for the door. People tried to approach her to talk about the surgery, but she avoided them. Tobirama, still in the corner, was following her with his red eyes. She did not realize he was there yet and he wanted it to stay that way.

Suddenly, the woman who hit Sakura earlier stood in front of her, blocking the way out. She was about to open her mouth to talk to the pink haired medic, but raising a hand dismissively and shaking her head, Sakura cut her before she could even talk, and walked passed her. She did not want to hear her excuses.

Sakura wanted to avoid questions about her training and her medical knowledge because she knew she would have to talk about Tsunade and she was not ready. Talking about her would only make things more real. If she did not voice anything, she could still pretend that everything was alright. Could she? Also, only thinking about those she lost made her cry, so talking about them would probably make her fall apart like it almost did when she talked to Hashirama a week ago.

As for the lady that she just ignored, she did not want to talk to her until she could do something about the pulsing pain in her jaw.

The Senjus inside the tent exchanged looks of surprise and shame when Tobirama appeared behind them and walked out without a word. He followed her from far away. She was walking toward the end of the camp. Her pace was steady, but he could see that she was forcing herself to look like she was not exhausted. Getting behind a large tree, Sakura slowed down, allowing her tired body to shake. Exhausted, she slid down, her back on the tree to sit on the grass, her knees close to her chest. She did not have to maintain the image of the strong outsider now that she was out of view. She did not have to prove herself to anyone anymore.

Using her last bit of chakra, she took care of her jaw. Once that was done, she leaned her head back on the tree, put her elbows on her knees and closed her eyes.

It felt good to heal someone again. Being able to save a life. Last time she tried was when she lost Naruto on the battlefield. At the thought, tears rolled down and she wiped them off with a frustrated motion. Her thoughts went to another subject that was in her mind for the past week.

If she was really in the past, could she change the future? Maybe she could save her friends? But the biggest question was: how could she, the annoying and useless girl of Team 7, do that? Would she ever be able to go back home?

The wind picked up and a familiar voice ringed in her head. _Save the one who died in the past of your future._ It kept repeating the same sentence over and over again. Easy to say, but what did it even mean? It did not make any sense.

* * *

Tobirama still masking his chakra, hid in a branch of a near tree. Where was she going? Was she reporting her work to someone? Then he saw her losing her composure and wiping her eyes from unwanted tears. He relaxed a bit. She looked exhausted, but she did not show it in front of everyone back in the tent. He could understand how she needed to recuperate, far from curious eyes.

"You should find a way to hide your chakra better, I know you are here, like I know you were in the tent the whole time I was healing the man." She said with a soft and tired voice barely above a whisper, keeping her eyes closed.

Caught off guard, he did not move, eyes fixed on her. She was bluffing, she could not know where he was. Suddenly, her eyes open and she turned her head in his direction. Emerald clashed with deep red. She was looking straight at him.

"Senju-sama." She said, nodding her head slightly, to acknowledge his presence.

A dumbfounded Tobirama landed on the ground silently and approached her. He stopped a few feet from her, crossing his arms on his chest and raised and eyebrow in a silent question. Sakura had an emotionless chuckle.

"Being a medic for years made me really good at feeling chakra even if I am not a sensor as skilled as you. I can't let my guard down. Or maybe you just suck at hiding. One of the two." She closed her eyes.

Frowning, Tobirama looked down at her face. He was about to snap at her when he saw the smirk on her face. It was weird to see such expression on her face because since he rescued her, he only saw her sad frown. Relaxing a little, he spread his chakra to sense around the camp. Everything looked fine so he turned his attention to the kunoichi.

"What is the seal on your forehead and how did you get it?"

Opening one eye, she looked at him, raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and closed it again.

"I gather chakra in it and it helps me with my medical ninjutsu among other things. Like a reserve. It was a process that took three years to accomplish and it was taught to me by my mentor." Her voice cracked when she said the last part.

_A reserve? Interesting._

"Hn."

Of course he would answer with monosyllables. A few minutes passed and they did not say anything. Lifting her chin, she glanced up at him. He was tall. His face was really nice to look at. Strong jaw, fine mouth, straight nose, piercing red eyes… his white hair made him stand out and with the way he carried himself you could only notice his imposing presence. He looked even more intimidating with his happuri framing his face. Blue was the perfect color considering his peculiar eyes and hair. _Wait. Blue?_ Looking closely at the shirt he was wearing under his armor, she realized something. The blue long sleeve shirt she was wearing was his. He was he only one wearing that color! No wonder why it was so big! A blush stained her cheeks and it caught his attention.

"What?" he asked her, wondering why she was staring at him. Trying to hide her embarrassment she cleared her throat and pointed her shirt.

"I am sorry, I did not notice this was yours. I will give it back to you once I find my black shirt."

Looking at her small form in his shirt made a spark of pride flash in him but he tucked this feeling as far away as he could as soon as it happened. _What was that?_

"Your black shirt was ruined beyond repairs after we were attacked. Keep that one as a replacement. I realized that you are not fond of the yukatas we provided, we can get you something else that you are more comfortable in." He shrugged his shoulders with indifference. This was literally the most words she heard him talk since they met. Considering the offer she tilted her head to the side.

"It's not because the yukatas are uncomfortable, don't get me wrong, I am thankful of what was given to me, but I am just not used to wear such things. In my village, yukatas and kimonos are for special events, otherwise, I was always wearing my ninja gears. It is easier to move around as a medic and more efficient to protect myself and fight wearing pants, than it is with all those layers of material." _Yukatas for special events? Ninja gears?_

Narrowing his eyes he glanced down at her and thought about what his brother said. Being nice goes long way.

"I will let Ari know that you need different clothes and she will help you. Otherwise, I would like to thank you for saving our clansman's life. You had no obligation to do so, but you did it and I am grateful for your actions." He gave her a small bow and she almost had to hold her jaw into place. The Nidaime was bowing to her. She was dreaming.

"Hum… It's ok really, that is what I am here to do. " She tried really hard not to blush but failed miserably.

"I still think that without your here we would have lost someone today." Was it his way to say that he was trusting her and that he was glad his brother made her stay here as a medic? Who knows what was in this head of his… Muffling a yawn with the back of her hand she smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you for everything, and for letting me keep this. I need to go get some rest, if you do not mind." Bowing lightly, she met his eyes. "Senju-sama." She gave him a soft genuine smile that reached her eyes before turning around and making her way back to get her bed.

Tobirama watched her disappear between the trees and let out a breath he did not know he was holding. If he had any questions about her loyalty, today's event made it clear to him that he could trust her. The corner of his lips twitched lightly. He had been able to make her smile. Slowly walking towards the camp, he did not see Hashirama's clone watching him with a knowing grin.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: Sorry for the little delay, I am not quite satisfied with that chapter, but here it is! Thank you for the reviews, I am glad that you enjoy the story so far:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Chapter 7

Days passed and not too long after the procedure that save the life of one clansman, people started to be nicer to Sakura. They were coming to the medical tent seeking treatment without making a fuss and when she was getting to the center of the camp for dinner, people had her food ready. She found herself eating with the Senju more often than not, instead of being alone in her tent. They were smiling at her and bowing to her when they were meeting around the camp. Some of them were even calling her Sakura-sama and she could only blush at the honorary added to her name.

The only things tainting her days were the times that Hashirama was trying to get her to talk about her life, her friends and her village. Most of the time, she was avoiding his questions, deflecting with another question about something totally different. Most of the time, she was getting angry and leaving to go to the river or tears would betray her and she would have to leave to go back to her personal quarters.

Tobirama did not talk to her often, when he was, it was always formal and mostly about her taijutsu techniques or chakra control. She could only see him around the camp, helping his people, training his men and when he was with his brother. When he happened to look at her, he would nod to her, his way of saying hi. She was thankful for that. This little bit of civility between them. Since she healed the Senju, he was not hostile with her and was not following her every moves anymore.

* * *

Two weeks after the procedure happened, Ari entered in her tent with different materials in her arms. Panting because of the effort, she dropped everything on Sakura's bed and turned around towards the medic-nin who was sitting at her desk, writing on a scroll. Without a word she grabbed the her by the shoulders and brought her to stand in the middle of the tent. She started to take her measurement with a rope and was writing down her numbers meticulously. A bit flustered about the situation, Sakura giggled a bit.

"Ari-san, what are you doing?"

"Tobirama-sama told me you needed more clothes, I am just taking your measurements in order to create some new yukatas."

She almost forgot about the conversation they had about her clothing. Clearing her throat lightly, Sakura blushed.

"Actually, Ari-san, I was wondering… Would it be possible for you to create some pants, shorts, long sleeve and sleeveless shirts for me?" Ari raised an eyebrow at her request. She would not be covered properly, that would be frowned upon by the clans people… Drawing a quick model of her old gears, Sakura handed it to the Senju woman.

"This is the kind of clothes I was wearing in my village… It gives me a better range of motion when I fight and heal." Ari's eyes widened but she did not comment on Sakura's choices. Even if the clothes she wanted were not ladylike, she surely had her reasons to ask for such things._ Right?_ Nodding her head, uncertain, she presented her a few materials in different colors. Sakura chose a deep red for the shirts and black for the pants, it was almost like the colors she used to wear! Ari nodded, grabbing everything she brought with her and left the tent, mumbling about outsiders and their weird tastes.

Sakura looked at the clothes she had for now and without any kind of hesitation, put on her pants and the dark blue shirt. Brushing her hair, she sat back at her desk. She grabbed her brush and continued her work. Since the extraction procedure, she realized that the medical staff here had not a lot of knowledge about poisons, which were her specialty. Her goal was to write as many poisons and antidotes as she could think of, so the clan could have a record of it for the future. If something were to happen again, they would be able to take care of the situation in the event she was not available to help for some reason. Even absorbed in her work, she felt his chakra before he spoke to her.

"May I enter?" Tobirama's deep voice was heard outside her tent.

"Yes, come in!"_ What is he doing here?_

Pulling the flap aside, he entered holding something in his hand. He walked towards her and put a package next to her hand on the desk, then took a step back. Sakura looked at him, questioning.

"What is it?" she asked with a small voice. With a motion of his head towards the package, he shrugged. Sakura took it as:_ Open and you'll see._ So slowly, she took the package in her hand, looking at him quizzically.

A spark of satisfaction crossed his crimson eyes so fast that she would have missed it if she was not staring at him already. Turning her head, she opened it and saw a kunai holster and a shuriken holster. Taking each holsters, she opened them and gasped in surprise. They were full of weapons.

Not waiting any longer, she started to make an inventory of what she had. Bright smile plastered to her face. The weapons were new and the holsters were made for her to wear on her right side. _How did he know?_ Of course the Nidaime would notice that sort of things. Confidently, she tested the weight and the sharpness of the kunais under the attentive look of the white haired shinobi. "Great quality" she mumbled. The corners of his mouth twitched a bit when he saw her place the kunai on her finger to see the weight balance of it. She was meticulous with her weapons and she could appreciate quality when she saw it. Saving the image of her smiling in his memory, he silently left her tent with a pleased look.

Sakura was so focused on her new weapons, that she never saw him leave. Nodding in approval, she turned around to face him.

"Thank you-" the words died in her mouth when she realized he was already gone.

A weird feeling stirred in her chest. It was the second nice thing he ever did for her since she got there. Sure he was not suspicious of her anymore, but he had never did anything of that sort. He would not have given her weapons and have someone make new clothes for her if he did not trust her, right? She would have to thank him for the clothes and the new weapons at some point. What a troubling man. Pushing the thoughts aside, she grabbed the kunais and placed them back in the holsters, unable to erase the stupid smile on her face.

Excited about her new equipment, she decided to go and test it since she had some free time before dinner. She left her tent almost running… and bumped into someone. Raising her head, she saw that it was the lady from the medical tent._ The one who punched me._ The Senju bowed to her.

"Sakura-sama, I would like to apologize for my behavior during our first encounter." Raising her eyebrow, Sakura looked at her, puzzled. The lady looked terribly ashamed and was avoiding her gaze. She never thought she would get an apology, especially not two weeks after the facts.

"You have to understand, my brother is all I have left in this world and I could not stand the thought of losing him. I am really grateful you helped us even after the way I treated you."

Sakura's eyes softened. She knew the feeling too well, she felt the same way when trying to save Naruto. Trying to save the only other important person in her life. If someone else had tried to touch him, she probably would have punched them to Suna… Not that she would have been able to save his life either way... Catching the woman's gaze, Sakura gave her a small smile.

"I would have probably had the same reaction you did. There is nothing to forgive. What is your name?" Her voice sounded a little more bitter than she wanted to, but it would have to do. The woman's eye widened and she bowed again.

"H-Hanami, Sakura-sama."

"You can drop the sama, Hanami. After everything that happened, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Have a good day."

Sakura left behind her a dumbfounded Hanami. She expected everything from the pinkette, but this nonchalant and almost friendly behavior was not close to anything she had imagined. Smiling, she continued on her way.

Sakura thought about her interaction. She did not like to be mad at people. She forgave Hanami's actions and was glad to know that she helped her by saving her brother. She understood why she acted the way that she did. Even if she was forgiving her, she would not call her a friend. That interaction would be the closest she would get, still reluctant to let people get close to her. Her gaze dropped down and she sighed lightly. Seeing the holsters in her hands she continued walking.

Her thoughts went back to her brand new weapons and her mood lightened a little. Making her way to the training area, she had a slight bounce in her step that did not go unnoticed by anyone. Fixing the holsters on her leg and hip, she started to throw her weapons at the targets. Each of her throw were done expertly and hitting the targets with deadly accuracy. Breathing out, she threw more of them, chasing her previous thoughts about Naruto in the process. Some of the men and women of the clan were watching her in awe. Just what kind of person was this Sakura?

Hashirama being one of them approached her silently, watching her moves. She was throwing like she was annoyed. Something was bothering her.

"Sakura-" he just had time to duck and the shuriken embedded itself on the tree behind him where his head would have been. She looked at him with wide eyes. Bringing her hands to her mouth she gasped.

"Hashirama-sama! I am so sorry!" with a sheepish smile, he scratched the back of his head and laughed. He looked so much like Kakashi when he was doing that. Trying to chase the sad thought, she smiled at him but it did not quite meet her eyes.

"I should have made my presence known, my fault! I can see you are enjoying your new toys." Seeing her eyes, Hashirama's smile dropped. Not wanting any sort of questioning, she talked first.

"Is there anything you need?"

"No, I just never had time to come and tell you thank you for taking such great care of our people. I am really grateful. I also wanted to see how you were doing, you know… About everything else." And there it was. The question she did not want to hear. She knew exactly what he meant. _How are you handling the death of your loved one? Does it still hurts?_

_Can he drop it already?!_ It was not the first time he was trying to get her to talk. She just really did not want to open up. She knew she was not ready. Hell! She did not know if she would ever be ready. Giving him her best fake smile, she answer with a soft voice.

"I am fine, really." He stared at her, unconvinced.

"Sakura-chan, it's ok to grieve. You don't have to be strong all the time."

That's where he was wrong. She had to be strong. For herself, for them, for the clan that was now depending on her healing abilities. She had to be level-headed and shove all her sad emotions in a deep corner of her mind so it would not cloud her judgment. Her temper flared and her eyes hardened.

"I said, I am fine. Now excuse me, I have things to do Senju-sama."she stated dryly between clenched teeth while bowing to him. Turning her heels, she stormed out of the training area, forgetting her weapons still stuck in the multiple targets.

* * *

Tobirama was on his way to the training ground and could see flash of pink moving gracefully while throwing weapons. He saw his brother and Sakura talk and knew something was wrong when her shoulder stiffened before she bowed. The white haired man caught his brother's expression from afar and could see the medic-nin coming towards him with her head down. When Sakura passed next to him, he grabbed her wrist and she stopped walking. A shiver went down her spine at the warm contact of his hand. Her eyes met his and in a silent question, he raised an eyebrow. She pulled her hand away, averting her eyes.

"Just let me go." Her voice came out in a barely audible murmur.

His arms dropped on each side of his body and he kept looking at her not showing any emotions. She turned away and left with a decided pace. He watched her leave towards the camp and turned to face his brother who joined him where he stood. Tobirama looked at Hashirama with a interrogating look.

"She is hurting brother, I am just trying to get her to open up. Every time I do, she cries or she gets angry." Hahsirama let out a frustrated huff. Tobirama looked at him for a moment.

"Her anger is her way to let out the pain." The white haired shinobi knew what he was talking bout. He was doing the same thing more often than not.

"I am worried about her, brother. She barely opens up and does not make any friends. She is pushing people out, even me. One day, I fear it will be too much for her to bare alone, and she will crack."

"It will take time, but she will get over it." Hashirama sighed at his brother's dismissive tone and gave him the weapons she left at the training ground. They both looked at her pink hair disappear behind rows of tent.

* * *

She was sulking. Every time she wanted to forget the pain, Hashirama had to bring it up again. She would rather be in denial and try to avoid it then go through it all over again every time someone talked about her old life. Se did not like to have company, because people were asking questions. Questions led to bad thoughts, then to anger and sadness. Sakura was taken out of her thoughts by an old Senju woman blocking her way.

"Here young lady, let old lady Chika give you a hot meal. It'll make you lose that frown of yours." Her voice was so warm and comforting that Sakura could not find it in her to say no. With a small chuckle, she took the plate from the lady's wrinkled hands. She murmured a small "Thank you" and sat.

She observed the woman. She was small and had brown hair with white strands and brown warm eyes like almost every Senju._ Probably one of the elder._ Sakura stopped her observation when she locked eyes with old lady Chika. With a knowing expression on her peaceful face, the lady took her hands in her wrinkled ones. Sakura's head dropped, she could not remember the last time she let someone touch her. The warmth of the contact made her heart clench painfully.

"You know child, second chances are not given to make things right, but are given to prove that we could do better after we fall."

Sakura sucked in a breath. Raising her head with a questioning look. She realized the lady was gone. The feeling of her old hands holding hers was still lingering. Sakura's hand started shaking and she brought it to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding in her head and her vision blurred. The lady's words triggered some awful visions in her head. Her emotions were like a tornado destroying every walls she built to keep the memories away.

She ran to the only place she knew she could be alone. She made her way through the forest, stumbling, not able to see clearly where she was going. Hearing the water, she charged toward that direction and dropped on her knees on the riverbank. Trying to breathe she closed her eyes but then, the image of the war flooded her brain behind her closed eyelids like an horror movie. She could only see flashes of her worst memories. Corpses, ten tails, Madara, blood, Kaguya, Obito, the face of every single person she lost. It did not stop and everything was accentuated with the smell of death, the smell of war. She pressed her palms on her eyes, trying to slow the flow of memories hitting her all at once. It did not work. _How can I make it stop!_

The old lady's voice still in her head was repeating those words… What she said resonated with something deep inside her. Something that unleashed everything she tried to keep away.

_…are given to prove that we could do better after we fall._

Why did it feel like she was still falling? When would it stop? Could she even get up after hitting rock bottom so hard?

A strangled sob left her throat and she started to hit the ground repeatedly with her fists. She could not hold the heartbreak any longer and as her knuckles started bleeding, he grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears while she was still hitting the ground, the images still haunting her.

* * *

A flare of chakra alerted the Senju brothers and looking at each other, they made their way to it without a word. They already knew it was her. The sight waiting for them was heart wrenching. Prostrated, Sakura had her eyes closed tightly, tears stained cheeks, and was hitting the ground with a weird splattering sound. Hashirama's eyes widened when he had a brief sight of her raw knuckles, bleeding profusely. He tried to take a step forward, but Tobirama grabbed his shoulder shaking his head, red eyes never leaving the pinkette.

"She does not need to talk right now. Let her be." Nodding, Hahsirama turned his body towards the camp.

"Can you make sure she is ok?" Tobirama nodded and his brother left.

* * *

He'd been there for a while and once the sun started setting, her pain died down, leaving her panting. She let out an trembling sigh and sat back, hugging her knees to her chest. Eyes still tightly closed, she did not make a move when the white haired shinobi sat next to her. His red eyes took in the sight of the woman next to him. Disheveled hair, swollen eyes, tired expression, deep frown. She was struggling with something only she could see. Her knuckles were destroyed and bleeding all over her legs but she did not seem to care. In a defeated motion, she put her forehead on her knees.

He brought his attention to the river and just stayed next to her. She would never tell him, but his presence was calming. It was soothing, in a way, like she found a rock to hold onto during a storm. Slowly, the horrible images faded and disappeared from her brain. It felt like cold water on a burn. It felt good. The silence was comfortable and she was thankful that he was not trying to talk to her. Like he understood the chaos she was facing. The numb feeling in her heart. Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

Seeing this shift in her posture, his red gaze focused back on her.

"Try not to stay here too long, it gets cold at night."

Slowly, he got on his feet, looking one last time at her form near the water and transported himself back to the camp. Before to go back to his tent, he made a few detours. She would be fine, he knew it. It would take some time, but she could get through it.

* * *

It was completely dark when a shivering Sakura made her way back to the camp. She was exhausted… Her hands were so painful. Pushing the flap aside, she entered in the tent and her eyes were attracted to something on her desk that was not there when she left that day.

Bandages, cloths, water and some of the ointment she created for the inflammation were waiting for her. Walking towards her desk, she took one of the cloth but stopped her movement when a flash of white caught her attention. A small piece of paper folded in two was tucked carefully under the bandages. Curious, she took it and opened it.

_Try to get some sleep._

_T._

She let out a chuckle. Who knew that Tobirama Senju could be considerate. He somehow knew that she would be too exhausted to heal herself so he gathered everything she would need to take care of her wounds. A warm feeling made it's way through her numb heart. Shaking with exhaustion, she decided to get her wounds taken care of quickly. With the cloths, she cleaned her wounds, hissing. Fingers trembling a bit, she applied the ointment and could not help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips when the stinging pain went away. Carefully, she wrapped her knuckles with the bandages. After making sure that everything was in order, she plopped on her bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling of her tent. A glint of metal made her turn her head towards her chest. On top of it were the weapons she forgot at the training ground. With a small sigh, she brought her hands to her heart. The warm feeling was still there. She fell asleep soon after, and for the first time in a few weeks, she did not have any nightmares.


	8. Chapter 8

Note: This is a lonnnnng chapter! I tried to cut it in half, but it did not make any sense. I am also not a fan of the way I wrote it, kinda have a hard time to express myself recently haha. So here it is, there is a lot of things happening! I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 8

The morning found Sakura laying on her bed, lost in thoughts. During the night, she did not even have nightmares. It was the first time since the war. Maybe reliving her memories did her some good… She hid her face in her hands, wincing at the sharp pain coming from her knuckles. _I have showed my weakness in front of the second Hokage, no less, he probably thinks I am pitiful._

Opening her eyes, she slowly took off her bandages. _Did he do__ all those nice things out of pity?_ Seeing her hands, she sighed. Busted knuckles, swollen fingers and dried blood. It looked like a mess. _Maybe I overdid it a bit?_ Letting one of her hand glow, she repaired all the damage, taking her time, and did the same with her other hand afterwards. Her thought wandered back to crimson eyes and white hair. _He really took the time to stay next to me silently. It was nice of him..._

Who was she kidding, he was only doing his part to make sure the medic was fit for duty. Letting out a frustrated groan, she got out of bed and opened her chest. To her surprise, Ari already had some of her new clothes in there. She took out knee length shorts and a red sleeveless shirt going mid-thigh with a slit on each side, going up to her hip so she could put on her medic pouches. This piece of clothing definitely looked like what she was wearing when she was younger. Putting everything on, she attached her holster to her thigh and left the tent.

Looking up, she saw white hair in the distance. Moving her eyes in that direction, green met red. She could have swore that she saw a glint of softness in his eyes, but as soon as she saw it, it disappeared. She probably made a mistake, she was far away after all. She did not miss him looking down to her hands though. When he caught her gaze again, he nodded. She gave him a smile and nodded her head mouthing a small "Thank you.". Again, she probably imagined it, but for a second, she was certain that he gave her a small smile. Dumbfounded, she went to the medical tent to take care of the injured. The second Hokage would not smile for something so trivial, would he?

* * *

A couple of weeks passed and everything was going smoothly at the Senju camp. Fall was starting to paint the landscape in the brightest shades of red and orange. Sakura's mood lightened since her break down at the river. Hashirama was pleased to see that she was doing better. She was still not reaching out for company, but when people were approaching her, she was talking to them. She would even laugh sometimes. Her and Ari were getting along nicely, walking and doing chores together when Sakura was not busy.

It made her feel good to talk with Ari. She was knowledgeable and she always understood when Sakura needed distance. In moments like these, she was missing Ino though. After the war, her friend was mourning her father and the two kunoichis barely talked. _I wonder how she is doing. Did she realize that I disappeared? _Who knew, maybe time stopped when she was transported back in the past? Maybe her existence was wiped off. She did not have a clue. The only thing she knew was that her life was here for now, so she could at least try to make the best of it.

The first time she came out of her tent with her new clothes, everyone stopped working and gave her a incredulous looks. Was she really wearing that? It was not appropriate! People were murmuring about it all over the camp and she had to stand in front of the whole clan during dinner time to explain the reason behind her less than appropriate clothing. Once they understood the reason behind it, they stopped talking about it. It did not change the fact that she was getting disapproving looks from the elders. As the weeks passed, people got used to it.

Hashirama was not asking her questions about her past anymore. After seeing what happened the last time, he thought it would be best to wait until she wanted to talk about it. Instead, he asked her to take some apprentice under her wing and start teaching them medical ninjutsu. At first, she was reluctant to do it, but then seeing that it could help the clan greatly, she took five apprentices under her care. It is around that time Hashirama realized how his younger brother was spending more time with her. No matter where he was, he noticed the glances Tobirama directed to Sakura when she was close by. Every time Hashirama would smile. He would let his brother figure out his emotions on his own.

Sakura and Tobirama had more frequent interactions and to her surprise, he even asked her if she could spar with him some times. They did not yet have the occasion to do so since she was pretty busy at the medical tent. She enjoyed the time she could spend with him when it happened. He was definitely smart and was challenging her mentally. Since she started to teach some basic medical ninjutsu to some of the women, she could barely do anything else then working and teaching. The idea of sparring with him faded away in her memory. Either way, he could not be serious about it. He could spar with Hashirama who was more of a challenge then she could ever be.

* * *

That day, she was sitting under a tree with some scrolls open on her laps, her students were in the medical tent, trying to learn a new healing technique. For the first time in a few weeks, she was able to relax and continue her work about the poisons and their antidotes that she had to put on hold.

When Tobirama saw her, he stopped in his track, tilting his head on the side. Observing her from where he stood, his eyes softened slightly. She was so focused on her task that she did not realize she had a smudge of ink on her cheek. He stood there for a few minutes and never did her focus wavered. She was smart and passionate about her work, something he admired. He decided to make his way towards her when he noticed people staring at him. He gave them a cold glare and they went on their way. He would not give them a reason to gossip. Lost in her research she did not hear or feel him approaching.

Chewing her bottom lip, she had a frown on her face, writing important notes about the use of an antidote that could be more potent than the poison if administered in a bigger dose than what was recommended. Tsunade was always reluctant to use it for that reason. _Tsunade_. Her brush stopped and her eyes lost their focus.

Crouching behind her, he looked over to the scroll she was working on. Impressive. She listed more than forty poisons and antidotes already. Everything was detailed, even the quantity of each herbs needed to create them. Over her shoulder, he pointed one of the poison.

"I have never heard of that one –"

Caught by surprise, she grabbed his wrist, pulled him over her shoulder. She grabbed a kunai and before she could do anything, it was out of her hand and her face was stamped on the grass, a knee immobilizing her between her shoulder blades. Tobirama caught her wrist before she could try to escape. An amused huff left his lips when he looked down at the pink haired kunoichi.

"Good morning to you too." The deep rumble of his voice made her shiver. Blushing, she relaxed and he let go of her arm, taking his knee off her back. She sat and looked up at him, she tried to look angry but failed when her smile betrayed her.

"Do not ever sneak on a kunoichi, Tobirama-sama." She scolded him. She felt weird saying something like that to him when she was the one who ended up with grass in her mouth.

"I barely sneaked up on you, I've been there for about ten minutes and you just realized it. Your skills need to be sharpened." Leaning against the tree, he crossed his arms on his chest. He was carrying his weapon pouches but was not wearing his armor.

Closing her eyes, she rubbed her face, making the ink smudge larger. Seeing the black stain on her hand, her eyes widened and she took the corner of her shirt to wipe her face clean. He looked at her with amusement.

"I've been busy and could not keep up with my training as much as I wanted to, my apologies." She got up on her feet and brushed the dust off her pants and shirt.

Of course, he knew that she was leaving her tent before sunrise every morning to meditate and do whatever she did with her seal, then spent her morning teaching medical techniques to the women and her afternoon to heal the clansmen. Then she would tumble out of the medical tent, eat rapidly and go back to her tent to sleep until the morning. And repeat. Not that he was stalking her or anything…

"I was wondering if you might have some time to join me for a spar today."

Taken aback by the request she looked at him with wide eyes. She never thought he was serious about it. There was no way she could keep up with the Nidaime in a spar, she was not Naruto. She opened her mouth to tell him that she did not have time but she could not do anything since he put is hand on her shoulder and in an instant, they were in a field out of the camp. Feeling dizzy after the transportation jutsu, she looked at him, annoyed.

"Next time, a warning would be nice Senju-sama." He let out another amused huff and looked at her seriously.

"Taijutsu only. No chakra."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded, taking her fighting stance. They both looked at each other, waiting for the first move to be made. She charged head on and tried to aim a kick to his head. He grabbed her ankle and threw her farther away. She did a back flip and landed gracefully on her feet. His red eyes were focusing on her and the intensity of his stare made her feel uneasy for a second. That's all it took him to land a hit on her stomach.

Falling on the ground, she coughed, trying to catch her breath. Turning her head his way, her green eyes were determined. He was pleased to see that she was taking him seriously now. Getting back on her feet, she attacked. They exchanged hits and blows, none of them being able to get the upper hand in the fight.

Tobirama was pleasantly surprised. He was not giving his all but he was certain that after a few spars, he would have to go all in on her. After a good hour, he grabbed a kunai and was able to immobilize her body against his, holding both of her wrists in one hand, her back to his chest. He pointed the kunai to her neck.

"Not bad-"

She turned her head his way and he saw the smirk on her lips a bit too late. Using her foot, she tripped him, making him release her hands. With one arm, she twisted his and grabbed his kunai. He fell on his back with a thud and before he could do anything, she was straddling his chest, his arms being stuck on his sides. His own kunai now directed at his throat. Panting, she was looking down at him with a satisfied smile and bright green eyes.

"Never underestimate me. You might be stronger and taller, but I can use this at my advantage. Next time, don't go easy on me." Giving him a playful wink she laughed.

At this moment, Tobirama could not think straight even if he wanted to. She looked so beautiful with the glint in her eyes and her disheveled hair. And the way she said that… Her strong thigh holding him into place, her above him, he could not help his thoughts drifting to another kind of activities where she could be on top of him… Slapping himself mentally, he tried to think about something else._ What is wrong with you?!_

Sakura did not miss how he stopped moving and held his breath while looking at her. Her breath caught in her throat. She was literally sitting on_ the_ Tobirama Senju… And it made her feel a bit warm inside, especially with the way his crimson eyes were glued to hers… Her heart was beating so fast that she feared he could hear it. _What a weird feeling…_ Having a hard time to swallow, he could only stare at her. The charm broke when someone behind them cleared their throat.

"Well well, what do we have here." This voice was so playful, yet she picked up on the threat in it. Turning around she stood in a defensive stance. Meeting the eyes of the intruder, she gasped. Her body froze.

"Sasuke?" the man in front of her had the same facial features and almost the same hair. She could not believe her eyes. Sharingan spinning, he looked at her, not saying anything.

With no warning, Izuna charged directly at her but she could only stare. Raising his katana for a fatal blow, he could not contain his surprise expression when Tobirama appeared in front of him, blocking the assault with his kunai. Looking behind him, Tobirama saw Sakura frozen on her spot, trembling slightly.

"Sakura, get out of here!" His hard voice got her out of her state of shock. Seeing that the Senju's attention was not on him for half a second, Izuna took advantage of it and with a hard kick, hit him in the ribs. A cracking sound was heard. Smug smile on his face Izuna knew he broke something. Tobirama winced and turned his attention back to Izuna. With a push, he stepped backward to get farther from the Uchiha.

Taking in the situation in front of her, Sakura shook her head. This man was not Sasuke. Charging some chakra in her fist, she jumped and released it when her she hit the ground. The earth shook and a giant crater appeared. Tobirama grabbed her arm and transported them to the other side of it. Senju and Uchiha facing each other from each sides of the giant hole. Izuna smirked.

"My my, she is a handful. Mark my words Senju, with her or without her, you will lose, there is nothing you can do about it." With that, he left the field.

* * *

Coming to her senses, Sakura yanked her arm from Tobirama's grasp. She glared at him.

"I was doing just fine, you did not need to intervene." She spat wit fury.

Crossing his arm on his broad chest, he winced. Giving her a cold stare.

"If by being fine you mean standing there, ready to die, yes indeed you were doing just fine." his voice was dripping with sarcasm. "What happened there?" Pushing him with her hand she pointed a finger under his nose, her other hand on her hip.

"Nothing happened. I am not some kind of weak little girl always needing protection Senju-sama."

"Sometimes you do act like a weak girl. Do not be annoying, tell me why you froze in front of the enemy."

_Ouch, touché._ She took a few step back. Those words again. Even coming from another man, it was bringing her the same pain. Of course the Nidaime would think of her as a weak person. _Is it why he treated me so nicely? Just to protect the weak girl?_ She pinched her lips in a thin line.

He caught her movement and the glint of hurt in her eyes and he bit his tongue. He knew he went too far. Her humorless chuckle brought his attention back to her. Her eyes were guarded, but he could still see her pain.

"Sorry for wasting your precious time. You can stop getting out of your way for me." The bitter sound of her voice sent a shiver down his spine. As he thought they made progress the past few weeks, he had to ruin everything.

Stiffly, she turned around and with long strides, started to walk back to the camp. He stood there, too proud to chase her and apologize.

* * *

Sakura walked faster and when she knew he could not see her anymore, she hugged herself tightly. Letting out a shaky breath, she slowed down. No matter what she did, she was still seen as weak. Tears pooling in her eyes, she got out of the forest and ran straight to her tent, avoiding Hashirama on the way.

Taking off her pouches and holsters, she threw everything on the ground. Silent tears falling from her eyes, she sat on her bed, furious. She was not weak. She was not annoying. He was just stupid. Taking deep breaths, she thought about their sparring session. Sakura was certain that something happened between them. Something changed. She did not know what, but something did. Not that Tobirama Senju could ever have any feelings for her, but at least, she thought they were close to be friends... He just proved her that it was only her imagination. That man was infuriating.

* * *

Hashirama was standing in the middle of the camp when he saw her getting out of the tree line, walking faster. He was about to greet her but saw the way she held herself and how her eyes shone with tears. She needed to be alone. But what could have caused her to be that way? His answer came out of the wood a few seconds later. _Tobirama_. Putting on his best smile, Hashirama made his way to his brother.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"Hashirama, right now is not the time." The brown haired Senju lost all his playfulness and stared at his brother with a stern expression.

"What did you do?"

"I saved her from Izuna Uchiha. We were attacked." Rolling his eyes, Hashirama pointed his finger at his brother.

"And she is feeling hurt because?" His light voice annoyed the white haired shinobi. He did not feel like playing games with his brother right now.

"Why do you assume I am the one who did anything?" Slapping his brother's shoulder, Hashirama barked out a laugh.

"Because I know the face you do when you know you messed up Tobi."

Frowning, Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose and shrugged his brother's hand off his shoulder. Turning his back on him, he cringed when he heard his brother's next words.

"You know I am right, you should apologize to her. You really don't know how to act with women do you?" Seeing the white haired man stop dead in his track, Hashirma let out another laugh and went about his day. He knew his words had hit home.

Tobirama started to walk to his tent again and took his armor off when he got in. With a loud metallic bang, he threw it in the corner. He hated himself for the way he reacted to her closeness while they sparred and he felt stupid for the way he treated her. Why did she react so strongly to what he said? He just wanted to know why she could not do anything when Izuna attacked. Did she know him?

Frustrated, he took off his shirt and hissed when he pulled it over his head. No way would he go to his brother to get his ribs fixed. And he would _DEFINITELY_ not go to see _HER_ either.

* * *

Izuna got back to the Uchiha camp. He could not erase from his mind the way her eyes met his. Her green eyes were so soft when she looked his way, he had the image carved in his memory since his sharingan was activated when that happened. She looked at him like she knew him. He was sure he would remember if he ever met her before, which he didn't. The other thing that was obvious to him was the way Tobirama Senju was protecting her. They were in a compromising situation when he arrived on the field. Were they together? She had to be important for him to make sure she was out of harm's way… _Interesting_. He would have to investigate that part.

Making his way through the camp, he nodded to a few clansmen that bowed to him and without any notice he entered his brother's tent. Madara was sitting at his desk, writing, not paying attention to his brother.

"Brother, I just met the pink haired girl, Sakura is her name. I stumbled on her and Tobirama Senju while I was out on patrol." Izuna stated with a nonchalant voice. Madara's brush stopped moving on the paper. He lifted his gaze, serious expression on his face. Izuna took his silence as a sign to continue talking.

"She did not try anything against me. I tried to attack her but Tobirama got in my way. She ended up destroying the ground to make me back off. Other than that, nothing else happened. It would have been foolish from me to continue attacking two experienced shinobis on my own."

Tilting his head on the side, Madara observed his brother for a moment. Izuna did not flinch under the scrutiny of his gaze. He had nothing to hide after all, he just decided not to tell him about the fact that the pink haired girl and Tobirama might be in a relationship.

"I think it's time we make a move, Madara. The clansmen are growing impatient. They want to fight." Madara brought his attention back to his scrolls. Taking a small piece of paper he scribbled some words on it and handed it to his brother without looking.

"Send this to the Senju with a messenger hawk. We will take care of this once and for all. Tell the men to get ready, tomorrow we go to war."

Madara watched his brother leave the tent. He rubbed his eyes and laid back in his chair. _Our dream won't happen after all…_

* * *

Sakura woke up sweating and panting. It was still dark outside and the camp was silent. She just could not shake the feeling she had. That dream felt too real.

_She was standing on the battlefield during the war but there was no blood, no injured, no one standing beside her. She was alone, under the moonlight._

_"Where am I?"_

_"You are dreaming but it is important for you to remember my words."_

_That voice. That was the one she kept hearing almost every single time she was sleeping…_

_"Who are you?" she yelled. Turning around, trying to find its origin._

_"Remember, you must save the one who dies in the past of your future. You must. It is your task." she could hear the urgency in the way the words were said. _

_"But wait! Why? What am I doing here? Will I be able to go back home?!"_

_Nothing but the silence answered her question. And then, she was falling._

Steadying her breath, she got out of her bed and shivered. The temperature was still cold at night. Without a sound, she dressed herself in a yukata that was thick enough to keep her warm. Putting on her sandals, she left her tent.

Walking slowly, she let the cold breeze chase the remnant of her dream and made her way to the place she felt the safest. The river. The tension in her shoulders slowly went away and she felt like she could breathe again. Getting out of the tree line, she stepped closer to the river and took a minute to admire the view. The light of the full moon was reflecting on the water and made the orange and red leaves in the trees shine giving a surreal atmosphere to the place.

Even if her life was far from being what she expected after the war, she admitted to herself at that moment, that she quite enjoyed this new start. For the first time after the war, her face relaxed and she took a moment to appreciate the fact that she was alive. The fact that she was given a new purpose.

Spotting a flat rock in the middle of the river, she walked to it and laid on her back, looking up at the stars. Breathing in slowly, she thought about her dream again.

"Saving the one who died in the past of my future." She mumbled.

That could be anyone. So many people died before the foundation of Konoha… _Hey, weird voice in my head, can you give me a clue?_ She would find out at some point what she had to do. She could feel it. For a few minutes she stayed silent, looking at the shining orbs in the dark sky.

"I do not need your protection, you can leave me alone." Her voice cut through the air like a knife.

She heard footsteps behind her.

"Not that it matters, but for your information, this is the place I come to when I cannot sleep. It just so happens that you are occupying my rock." His deep voice was a bit hoarse.

In half a second, he was standing beside her, looking up at the night sky. He was wearing his midnight blue long sleeve shirt and some shinobi pants. Even without his armor that made him look god-like, Sakura could see the definition of his broad shoulders. He was definitely handsome. Shaking her head she tried to remember that she was still mad at him. It was not the time to ogle.

Pushing with her arms, she sat and raised her eyes to make contact with him, but when he did not look back at her, she started to get up.

"Well, my apologies, I did not mean to steal your rock. You can have it." Her voice sounded a bit harsher than she intended it to be, but she was still hurt. Making a step to leave, he grabbed her wrist delicately, still looking at the stars. He knew he had to apologize, and even with his genius brain, he could not find a way to approach the subject.

Closing his eyes, he sighed. Staring at him the whole time, she saw his shoulder drop a bit and could see the gears turning in his head. Giving her a sideways glance, he squeezed her wrist gently.

"I would like to apologize. I said things without thinking it through." His voice was low and it sounded like he was hesitating with his choice of words. Sakura gave him a skeptical glance. He could not blame her. Deciding to put things into perspective for him, she took a deep breath.

"You said I was weak and annoying." He let out a sigh. He did. Her eyes never leaving his, she continued. "I have been called weak all my life since I was not as strong as my teammates. Both came from exceptional clans and I am only from a civilian family. I guess I was weak compared to them." He heard the derision in her words. She continued with a bitter smile." The man I loved my whole life told me I was annoying after I begged him not to abandon our village, to stay for me. So you see, out of all the words you could have used, it had to be those two. The two words that could make me feel worthless."

Her anger made more sense now. How could she be considered as weak? She had an incredible strength, she was an amazing medic-nin, her taijutsu skills were really good. He would never admit it, but hearing her talk about the man she loved made him a bit angry. _I guess he never realized the luck he had…_ Now he knew why she reacted as strongly as she did.

"I-I did not mean it." he started, not knowing what to tell her. "You are far from being weak and you are definitely not annoying, believe me."

She chuckled. His hand was so warm, it sent shivers down her spine. She looked down at her arm and raised her head to meet his gaze. She saw remorse in the depth of his crimson eyes. Knowing that he was no the kind of man to show his emotions, to be able to see his regrets as plain as day meant one thing. He was really sorry. She relaxed a bit.

"I believe you." She tilted her head to the side. "Now, can we sit on this rock or are we going to stand here all night?" raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow, she laughed lightly a him. He let got of her wrist and made a motion with his hand for her to sit first.

When she sat, he let out the breath he was holding. Hopefully, she was forgiving him. He sad next to her, his arm around his knee, other leg extended. She sat, legs crossed and her arms on the ground behind her back, head tilted to see the sky better.

Turning his head, he took in the sight of her. The stars were reflecting in her emerald orbs and the soft glow of the moon made her skin look creamy and soft. Even the impassive Tobirama Senju had to admit that it was a mesmerizing view. Something warm stirred inside of him. His crimson eyes followed the soft line of her jaw, the curve of her pink lips, her delicate nose… the burning red of her cheeks. She cleared her throat.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Her small voice made him look at her straight in the eyes.

"Hn. Just thinking about some clan issues." What a stupid thing to say. Embarrassed of being caught staring, he looked up at the sky. She chuckled and laid on her back fully, appreciating the radiating heat of his body near hers. It was weird. People were not staring at her like this normally. When he did, her heart started to beat faster and there was nothing she could do to slow it down.

He followed suit a few seconds later trying to lay on his back. He hissed when the sharp pain of his broken ribs flared. Even if brief, his pained expression did not go unnoticed by Sakura. Sitting up rapidly she put a hand on his shoulder and sent a strand of chakra in his body to find where he was hurt. Not expecting that, he jerked back when he felt her chakra in his system.

"What are you doing?" He eyed her, uncertain.

"Sorry I should have asked. I just sent some chakra to see where your pain was from. Now, if you would please lift your shirt so I can heal your broken ribs?"

He stared at her for a minute and was about to refuse when she gave him a severe look. Closing his mouth, he sat straight. She knelt next to him. Wincing a bit, he lifted his shirt and she saw the big bruise on his side.

"And how long did you intend to hide that?" He let out a frustrated groan. He would have been fine without her care.

Trying not to get distracted, she pushed chakra to her hands and put them on his side. Tobirama had to do everything he could not to let out a moan of relief. Her chakra felt warm and she was able to numb the pain while repairing what was broken. Closing his eyes, he tried to breath in deeply and think about something else than her hands on him. Her chakra felt nothing like his brother's. Hers was soft and calm… _But she does not need to know that. I would have done just fine without it. _

On her side, Sakura could not help but stare at his abdomen. His pale skin was littered with scars. She could see his well defined muscles showing a lifetime of battle and training. He was such a handsome man. Trying not to drool, she tore her eyes away from his body and blushed deeply. Who knew that under the armor was such a well built man? Looking up at his face, she could see that he was relaxing. Focusing back on her task, she closed her eyes, getting a better feeling of the bones mending slowly.

"I am almost done." He opened his eyes and held his breath. Her face was just a few inches away from his. He could see some freckles on her nose that he never knew she had and feel her warm breath on his cheek. Once she was done, she sent a bit more chakra to make sure everything else was fine and she sat back on her heels. With her small hand, she patted his ribs.

"As good as new!" Lifting her head, she met his gaze. He was looking at her so intensely that she had a hard time to swallow. There was something in his eyes… Something bestial, almost. And it disappeared as soon as she noticed it. Flustered, she sat back on the rock, looking at the stars to clear her mind. _What was that?_

They sat in silence for a while, their earlier fight forgotten. She did not know how to feel about what just happened. It was the same feeling she had while they were sparring. A tension she never felt before. She shook her head. She had other things to worry about right now... Her thoughts wandered back to her dream. She was so scared to mess it up. What if she was not able to save whoever was needing her? She had that nagging feeling in her guts.

"Don't you ever have the feeling that no matter what you do, things are going to go sideways?" She almost put a hand on her mouth. She did not mean to say that out loud.

He turned his head and locked eyes with her. Raising an eyebrow he waited for her to explain her thought. He could see something was bothering her, but could not quite put a finger on what it was. Opening his mouth to ask her what was making her feel that way, he was cut short when she got on her feet. The opening he saw was gone, she was back to her normal self.

"Just… Forget what I said. Goodnight Tobirama-sama." Her voice was a little strained. She gave him a smile that did not quite reach her green orbs and left him on the rock. He followed her with his eyes and laid back. Looking up at the moon, he frowned. _What did she mean by that? _

So many things happened that day and it made him forget to ask her about this Sasuke person... He would have to do it another time. Tobirama was never the one to think about women. His duty to his clan was always coming first. But her. She was something else. She was a contradiction, an enigma. When he thought he knew her somehow, she was revealing him new information and he was back to square one... Was she doing it on purpose or was there more to her then she was letting him know? Too bad for Sakura, because he was man who never turned down a challenge.

* * *

Once his mind stopped racing, Tobirama made his way back to the camp. The light was still shining in his brother's tent so he decided to go in. A piece pf paper in front of him, Hashirama was not moving.

"Tobi, this is bad…"

Taking the paper from his brother's desk, his crimson eyes narrowed after reading it.

_Hashirama, let's get this over with. Tomorrow at the northern fields, noon._

_Madara_

Tobirama stared at his brother's posture. Shoulders on his desk, hands joint under his chin. This was probably the most serious that he ever saw him.

"This is it. Tell the men to get ready."

"And Sakura?"

"She stays here. She needs to heal the men, we can't take the risk to bring her to battle. We will let her know tomorrow."

Nodding his head Tobirama left his brother's tent and went to his to prepare his weapons and his armor.

Hashirama watched him leave and closed his eyes. A sigh escaped his lips.

_Our dream won't happen after all…_


	9. Chapter 9

Note: Ta-dahhhhh! Sorry for the little break! We are moving next week so I was doing a lot of packing! I might post a little less for the next two weeks because of that, but I promise, I will do my best to update! Hope you enjoy :)  
Also, thank you for the reviews and all the pointers that you are giving me! I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 9

Sakura was working at her desk when the yells of the men outside startled her. She slipped out of her tent to investigate the reason behind all the noise. Hashirama saw her and with determined strides made his way to her, his brother in tow. They both looked quite impressive with their armors, ready for battle. She could see the stiffness in the shoulders of the Senju leader. He looked like he did not sleep at all. He also had a serious face that she had never seen on him before. Whatever it was, it seemed pretty bad.

Giving a quick look to Tobirama, she realized that he was battle ready, cold and calculating. He was quite surreal with his red markings, his happuri framing his handsome face and the white fur on his collar. Raising her eyebrow in a silent question, she stopped in front of Hashirama, hands on her hips.

"Madara sent a message late last night. We are going to war with the Uchiha clan." A forced smile found his lips and he frowned.

"Ok, if you give me a minute, I'll be ready to-."Seeing the hard expression of his eyes, Sakura stopped talking. Her anger flared when she understood. They were leaving her behind. Hashirama crossed his arms, stern expression on his face.

"Sakura, we need you here more than we do on the battlefield. The injured will be sent your way." Laughing incredulously she took a few steps towards Hashirama and looked up at him defiantly.

"You can't possibly be serious?! I would be more useful at the front line to take care of the clansmen during the battle, believe me. If they get injured there, they might not even make it back here. I might be a great healer, but I'm no miracle worker." Hashirama understood that she knew too well what she was talking about, but he already made his decision. He could not afford to lose her precious help by risking her life.

"No. You stay here. Like I told you before, this fight is ours, not yours. I am the leader and I order you to stay and take care of the wounded." Seeing she was about to argue about his reasoning, he raised his hand. "Stop. This is my final decision." Without sparing a second glance at her, he left, brown hair blowing in the wind.

Tobirama was still standing in front of her, imperturbable. He wanted her to stay there for her safety, but wanted her to come and fight by his side because… Because she was a great medic?. _Yeah right, keep telling yourself that, Tobirama_. He knew she was more than capable to fight and keep up with him so he did not doubt her capabilities to defeat the Uchihas.

Locking eyes with her, he saw the raw determination exuding from her and the way she raised her chin, challenging him to support his brother's decision. He was impressed with her desire to go back on the frontlines when she barely made it out of a war recently… Every day she was surprising him.

Reaching out to touch her, he open his mouth but stopped mid way. Breathing out heavily he closed his eyes and let his hand fall on his side. What could he say to make her feel better? Nothing. With what she told him the night before, he knew that saying anything would just make her feel weak. He already did that and did not want to repeat the experience. Especially since she was one of the strongest woman he knew… Giving her one last long glance, he turned around and caught up to his brother. He did not miss how she made her way to her tent, determined. _Please, stay safe…don't do anything stupid.._

* * *

Running through the woods, Hashirama gave his brother a sidelong glance. He could feel his disapproval about the situation. He too was feeling bad about leaving the pink haired kunoichi at the camp, but she had nothing to do with this war. He knew how the last battle she was a part of still haunted her day and night and he did not want to add another thing for her to bear. He knew she would be a great asset to the battle but for her sake, it was better for her to stay at the camp.

Shaking his head, he continued to jump from tree to tree. Right now was not the time to think about trivial things like hurt feelings when a battle was waiting for them ahead. He would deal with her later. Still running towards the northern field, they arrived a few minutes later. The Uchihas were already waiting for them.

"Hashirama!" Madara's yell echoed through the air, holding a threat to it.

"Madara!" The brown haired Senju nodded his head.

"You did not bring your pink haired weapon Hashirama?" The Uchiha leader pointed, snarling.

"She is not a weapon, she is a healer, Madara. I would not use her in a conflict that does not concern her at all." The fact was stated with such nonchalance, that it made the Uchiha's anger flare, his sharingan activating and spinning dangerously. The two sides stared at each other for a long time before Madara stepped forward, holding his gunbai and all hell broke loose.

Hashirama started his combat with Madara by attacking with one of his wood release and as an answer, got a fire jutsu sent his way. Knowing how dangerous it was to stay close to both leaders during a fight, the clansmen on both sides spread on the battlefield, giving them some room.

* * *

Sakura was in her tent, pacing. No. She would not stand back and observe while people were getting hurt. Never again. She would help them. Making a quick decision, she shrugged off the yukata she was wearing and put on her black shinobi pants. Grabbing a mesh shirt with long sleeves, she rapidly put it over her head. Looking down, she saw the dark blue shirt. Her fingers caressing it, her mind going to crimson eyes. Shaking her head, she put it aside and took a short red sleeveless top. She would fight with her colors. With swift motion, she put on the bandage on her right leg and attached her shuriken holster. Taking her medical pouches, she secured them on the back of her pants. They would get her help, if they wanted it or not.

Making sure to mask her chakra, she exited her tent and hid in the shadows. She could feel the chakra of the Senju running towards the north.

"Sakura-sama, what are you doing?" Startled, Sakura turned around. Hanami was looking at her, concerned. Observing the pinkette, she could see that she was ready to fight. Her red shirt stopping at her waist, giving a view of her flat stomach through the mesh of the shirt she was wearing.

"I have to go. Hanami, tell my apprentices to take care of the wounded. I will be back." Hanami knew it was useless to try to stop the kunoichi once she had her mind set on something. Sakura gave her a smile before bolting towards the field.

* * *

She had been running for twenty minutes when she heard a pained moan. Stopping on a tree branch, she listened to see where it was coming from. She found the source of it when she saw a young Uchiha laying behind a tree. He was about twelve years of age. _So young…_

When he saw her, he backpedaled and tried to hide in a bush. He threw a senbon her way but it was deflected by the kunai she took out a few minutes ago. Putting her weapon back in her pouch, she raised her hands in the air.

"I do not want to hurt you. I am a medic. Can you let me see where you're hurt?" Dropping down from the tree she was in, she walk towards him slowly.

Still looking at her like a wounded animal, the Uchiha pinched his lips and shook his head.

"I won't let you touch me, Senju!" There was so much hate in his reply. She smirked.

Getting closer to the teenager, Sakura crouched in front of him and tilted her head on the side.

"Good for you, I'm not a Senju. Now quit being a brat and let me help you." The serious glint in her eyes made him gulp and slowly, he took his hand off his side where blood was pouring out. He had a large gash probably made by a knife of some sort on his ribs and a stab wound on his thigh.

Pushing the material of his shirt out of the way, she sent chakra to her hands and healed the wound on his side rapidly under the scrutiny of his sharingan. She moved her hands to his thigh and started to knit the muscles back slowly. Once she was done, she looked back at him and gave him a smile.

"There. It should be better now." Getting on her feet, she helped him up. Without sparing another glance his way, she sprinted towards to the battlefield, leaving behind her a young blushing Uchiha, in awe. They all knew about the Senju's ally, the pink hair lady who could destroy the land, but no one said she was a nice person…

* * *

Tobirama's eyes scanned the battlefield until they landed on his rival. Izuna Uchiha, sharingan spinning was waiting for him farther away. Unsheathing his katana, he attacked, the sound of metal clanging around them. They faced each other and started to exchange blows. The younger Uchiha aimed for Tobirama's head, but he blocked it at the last second. Still holding his sword over his head, trying to push Izuna back, the Senju growled. A devilish smile spread on the young Uchiha's lips.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of Sakura once we defeat you, Senju." The sound of his voice made Tobirama cringe. Clenching his jaw, he rolled left, dodging another hit. "She's quite a beauty, I am tempted to see… Where things could go between us." For some reason, rage surged in Tobirama.

"As if I would let you approach her, Uchiha!"

Smiling, Izuna charged again and the Senju just had time to raise his katana in front of him to block the attack. Looking up, Tobirama's eyes met the sharingan and he closed his eyes as fast as he could. Seeing an opening, Izuna raised his knee, hitting the white haired shinobi in the gut and made him fly backward with a blow on his jaw.

Tobirama fell, his back to a rock and he opened his eyes only to see a fireball coming his way. Making a series of hand seals, he used the water dragon jutsu to protect himself. The water swirled around him, magnificent and powerful and hit the fireball with a sizzling sound. The vapor from the water hitting the fire was so dense that they could barely see a thing. Tobirama smirked. That was his chance to strike.

* * *

Not to far from there, Sakura was hiding behind a tree, turning her gaze towards the left side of the field where Madara and Hashirama were fighting. Looking at them, she could see why they were legends. Her jaw dropped. They were so fast and the jutsus they used were incredible… but there was no intent to kill. _They are still friends._ For them, it was only a big sparring session. Interesting. Looking at Madara closely, she shivered with disgust. That man. The one who started the chaos and destruction in her time. What if she tried to kill him now? No one would blame her for that, would they?

Breathing in, she remembered. He was a big part of Konoha's foundation. If she was killing him now, there would be no chances to achieve peace. She would only pour oil on the fire and the hatred between the two clans would be worst than ever. Frustrated, she closed her eyes for a second. Even if she really wanted to do that, she could not. Shaking her head, she continued to observe the battlefield.

Looking to her right, she saw Tobirama and Izuna, engaged in a deadly dance. Her heart fell in her chest when she looked at Izuna more attentively. He was Sasuke's exact replica. The same jawline, the shape of his face, the hair. The first time she saw him, she was too shocked to look attentively. Pushing back her thoughts, she followed their battle. She could not help but to stare in awe when she saw the white haired Senju fight. He was doing it with such grace that it almost looked effortless. Using an impressive water jutsu to avoid a fire attack, he rolled to his side. Vapor making it hard to see what was going on. He had this bestial look in his crimson eyes and she shivered. _He is an definitely a dangerous opponent…_ And he had the upper hand in the fight.

Realizing this, everything clicked and puzzle pieces fell back into place in her head. _Save the one who dies in the past of your future_. Izuna Uchiha. The reason why Madara had gone mad. The death of his brother. She had to make sure he lived. It was not about killing Madara, but about saving his brother…

Suddenly, Tobirama grabbed a few kunais from his pouch and she could see that one of them had his seal for the transportation jutsu on it. It was happening now. She read about his moment during her time at the academy… THIS was the final war. And she had to change the outcome at all costs.

Without thinking, she pushed chakra in her legs and ran in their direction. Kunais were thrown her way by some Uchiha men and she deflected them with her shurikens. A kunai came out of nowhere and cut her face from her cheek to her temple, making her slow down just for half a second.

Then it happened. Tobirama threw his kunai towards what she could imagine was Izuna through the vapor. She would not be able to make it on time… Giving all she could, she leaped and landed closer to them right before Tobirama gave the final blow. Enhancing her strength with some chakra, she threw a kunai that deflected Tobirama's katana at the last second, making it fall to the ground farther away. Hearing a clang, Madara who was at the opposite side of the field took in the scene. She saved his brother? What was she doing here?

Loosing his balance, Tobirama took a step backward and looked around to see who was responsible for this. Emerald clashed with crimson. A feeling of betrayal rose in in chest.

"No!" Before he could assess the situation, she was in front of him, pushing him far from Izuna. Puzzled, he stared at her not knowing what just happened.

A sound of flesh being tore echoed in his ears and her green eyes widened. Looking down at her body, he could see the Uchiha's katana going through her abdomen. _He tried to use the distraction to kill me…_ She was standing where he would have been a few seconds prior. Sakura took the blow that was meant for him.

With both hands, she held the sword firmly so it would not move and cause more damages to her organs. Losing her balance, Tobirama caught her, helping her to stay on her feet. Her skin was so cold.

Izuna fell back and gasped, seeing the katana peaking out of the woman's stomach. He did that. Just after she saved him from Tobirama's blow. She was not the one supposed to receive the hit… Izuna glared in the Senju's direction, only to see his blank face, eyes focused on the pink haired girl. All rage and killing intent left both men.

Realizing what just happened everyone stopped fighting and both leaders stared at them. Most Uchihas were taking in the sight of her with wide eyes. Because of her weird clothes and also because she betrayed the Senju to save a Uchiha and then sacrificed herself for the Senju she previously betrayed. None of it was making sense. What was the meaning of her actions? Why?

"Sakura!" Hashirama's panicked yell echoed through the now silent field.

Her eyes were set on the white haired man in front of her. She could see all the emotions he was feeling through his eyes even if his face was not expressing anything. Horror, sadness, pain, anger… At the sight in front of him, the only thing he could do was stare into the depth of her emeralds. Why did she do that? She could not possibly survive after a wound that severe…

Coughing blood, she met his gaze and then turned her head to look behind her and locked eyes with Izuna. Slowly pushing him away, she stood on her own with wobbling legs. Tobirama stood in front of her, looking at his hands that were now dripping with her blood. She took in a ragged breath.

"Why are you fighting? You don't even remember why you are killing each other. You don't even remember where all this hate comes from. You'd rather continue losing men, women and children for an old rivalry that started decades ago! You have the power to change the future and yet, you are not even using it." Her voice was loud and clear, echoing throw the trees. She looked at Hashirama and took one step forward. Directing her eyes to Madara, she could not hide the disgust she had for the man. Staring straight into his sharingan, she raised her chin. "This is pathetic." The Uchiha leader raised one eyebrow, surprised.

Wincing under the pain, she grabbed the handle of the katana and pulled it out. Without ceremony she threw it at Hashirama and Madara's feet, fists clenched on each side of her body. Tobirama and Izuna tried to make a move to help her but her sharp emerald gaze made them stop. Blood was pouring from the wound at an alarming rate, creating a puddle on the ground.

"Old grudges are like wounds. Yes, they do hurt, but they can be healed, no matter how hopeless they look." Doing a quick hand sign the seal on her forehead activated and black lines soon covered her creamy skin like the most complicated tattoo. Under the shocked looks from every Senjus and Uchihas, her wound started to close and steam escaped from it until the only thing left was blood on a perfect skin. Even the gash on her face disappeared.

"You" she pointed at the two leaders. "have the power to create something better than what your fathers left you with. Don't be stupid and take the chance that was just given to you." Looking at Hashirama with shining eyes, she pointed at the bloody katana on the ground. "Let the blood on this weapon be the last spilling for this war of yours." Scanning the crowd, she could still see the incredulous looks she was getting.

Tobirama was standing there, numb. Izuna could have killed her. For some reason, he had this weird feeling in his guts. Fear? Fear of losing her? No! Probably just the stress of the battle whining down, he reasoned. His eyes were drawn to the katana, on the ground. Guilt raised in him at the sight of her blood on the weapon. This blow was not meant for her. Thinking about the recklessness of her actions in the first place, anger rose in him. She betrayed him by saving Izuna, it was her fault if she got stabbed in the process. He would never admit that he was too proud to be grateful for what she did for him. For them.

Madara was watching the pink haired girl. He could not help but to admire the strength and determination of this small woman, standing proud in front of them. Since he heard of her, he thought she was a threat that needed to be eliminated, especially after knowing of her monstrous strength and healing abilities that could be used against them. Now, he knew that she was a sign. The sign that this perpetual war between Senjus and Uchihas needed to end. She did not even react when she looked him dead in the eyes, like she was used to see the Uchiha's eyes... She was something else. He was also relieved that she deflected the katana meant for his brother, he would be eternally grateful for that. Clearing his throat he caught her attention. Their eyes met and again, she stared into the depth of his spinning sharingan without flinching.

"I think you made your point quite clear." His deep voice startled everyone around them, and Sakura shivered, repressing memories of the same voice in a different war. "I would like to thank you for saving my brother's life." He turned towards toward Hashirama. "I think we have to consider her words. She saved a Uchiha and a Senju, I think we can take her intervention in this war as the sign we were waiting for. We should start the negotiations if we want our clans to live together peacefully in the future, don't you think?"

Hashirama still in shock, looked at his old friend and nodded his head. Uchihas and Senjus gasped, looking towards the leaders. Mixed expressions could be seen, but from what she could see, most of the warriors were relieved, even Izuna and Tobirama relaxed. Madara made a hand motion towards Sakura.

"Don't forget to bring her. She is quite young, but has a lot of wisdom that the both of us need apparently. Let's meet tomorrow."

Madara did not have to tell Hashirama where he wanted to meet. The mountain, the one where they used to dream about this day. With a last look around him, Madara tilted his head in Sakura's direction and bowed to her.

"Would it be too much to ask for your help with my injured men? I would greatly appreciate it." His voice was polite and genuine. Something she did not have the chance to hear during the Fourth Great War. Bowing slightly to him in return, she nodded.

"Not at all, I will send them your way once they are healed." Madara looked at her one last time and called back his men.

Izuna slowly got on his feet and picking up the kunai that saved his life, gave it back to Sakura. He opened his mouth to say something but could not find a way to thank her and apologize to her at the same time. Closing his mouth, he sighed and squeezed her shoulder lightly before leaving with all the Uchihas who were able to go back with Madara. She followed them with her eyes until they disappeared, then let out a breath she did no know she was holding. It worked. She stopped the battle for good.

The pink haired medic did not lose her time and walked around the battlefield, healing where she was needed.

* * *

Seeing her crouched next to some men while healing them, Tobirama could not take his eyes from her.

"She is quite a girl." Hashirama's voice came out from behind his shoulder. Tobirama crossed his arms on his chest, his way to acknowledge his brother's presence.

"It was reckless of her to act in such a way."

"Well, she is fine, and because of her help, the war is finally over." Hashirama's voice was light. He sounded happy, but for some reason, Tobirama could not feel the same way.

"How did she know that it would work? She did something stupid without knowing what the outcome would be." The white haired man was seething and you could clearly hear it in his voice.

"Her faith in this dream of mine pushed her to do what she did. She had faith in Madara and I to make the right decision. You can't blame her because she found a way to stop a war, Tobi."

"Hn"

Still observing her, he could not ignore the nagging feeling in his guts. It's like she knew what would happen… and when to act. No that was not possible. Frustrated about the situation, he tore his eyes from her and started to collect the weapons on the battlefield, trying to find his kunais, leaving Hashirama behind him.

* * *

Once all Uchihas were taken care of, they regrouped and bowed to Sakura, thanking her for her help. They left to their camp a few minutes after. Catching up to the Senjus, she made sure all of them were fine to travel and together, they all made their way silently to the Senju camp. Some men were happy, some other were frustrated, not wanting to share anything with those Uchihas, but most of all, everyone was relaxing, knowing that the way home was safe. No more ambushes.

Once they entered the camp, Hanami ran to Sakura and taking in her torn clothes full of blood and the black lines on her body, raised an eyebrow. Sakura shook her head and smiled. She would tell her about it later.

"What is it Hanami?"

"Sakura-sama! All the injured we have here are in stable conditions." Nodding her head, Sakura sighed lightly.

"Thank you, I will check on them tomorrow. For now I think I will go get cleaned up and sleep."

"Of course, I will send someone with water for your bath."

Bowing to Sakura, Hanami ran back from where she came from. Sakura stopped walking and did another quick hand sign. Her black marks receded back to her seal. Hashirama stepped forward and squeezed the kunoichi's shoulder.

"Thank you for everything. I should not have told you to stay here, I am sorry." Sakura looked up at him and before she could talk, she heard Tobirama huff behind his brother.

Their eyes met briefly and she did not miss the loathing expression he had. Avoiding her eyes he started walking passed them with a angry pace, making his way to his tent.

"What is going on with him?" Tilting her head to the side, Sakura followed the white haired man with her puzzled gaze. _A "thank you" wouldn't hurt.._

"I wish I knew. I think you scared him today." She sighed and gave Hahsirama a tired smile. As if she could scare someone like him. A small chuckle escaped her lips.

"Ah... Well, I will see you tomorrow Senju-sama, have a good night." She bowed to him and left. She would worry about the younger Senju's mood swings later.

Getting in her tent, she saw the warm bath all ready for her. Since she got here, she was cleaning in the river because it was more practical but her body missed the relaxing feeling of warm water. Taking off her clothes, she sat back in the tub. Closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the tub, she smiled. She did it. She saved him… Staying in the bath until the water became cold, she dried herself and went to bed. Now she could sleep peacefully.


	10. Chapter 10

Note: What. A. Crazy. Few. Weeks. Moving in our new house ended up being pretty hectic and complicated but now I feel like I finally got my head above the water. Got the writer's block for a while (probably because I was stressed out) and I struggled to write this chapter, but hey, it is finally here! I am sorry if it took a while and if this chapter is not what you expected, the only thing I can say is that I will do my best to make it better. Thank you all for following my story and for the reviews, I really appreciate it. Hope everyone is well and healthy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 10

Getting to his tent, Tobirama threw his happuri on the ground with frustration. Why did he feel this way? Why did she save Izuna Uchiha? _But she saved you too_. Groaning, he took off his armor. _But why does it make me feel that way. Granted, she saved me, but she saved him too… Am I Jealous? No, this is preposterous. Betrayal, that's what it is._

Pacing in his tent, he grabbed his holster and left for the training ground. It was dark outside and most of the clan was getting ready for the night. The only people he met on his way just avoided him, feeling the massive amount of chakra flaring out of him, testament of his bad mood.

Once he arrived, he took one kunai and threw it as hard as he could, pushing some chakra in the weapon. The target fell on the ground, broken in half. He did the same thing over and over again, until there were no more targets available. Passing his hand through his white hair furiously, he started to kick a tree repeatedly. All this rage inside of him was quite out of the ordinary. Everything just went sideways since that woman go to their camp. She changed everything, she even played with his temper. Granted, he already had one, but why was it worst since she was around?

Panting, he put his forehead on the tree and closed his eyes, slowly breathing out to calm himself. _What is she doing to me?_

After staying a few minutes there, focusing on his breathing, he straighten up. Seeing the state of the training ground, he looked up at the sky and scratched the back of his head, pouting. _It's her fault_. Slowly, he picked up the destroyed targets and replaced them by new ones and picked up his weapons.

Still thinking about infuriating green eyes, he started his walk back to his tent, pinching the bridge of his nose, but was stopped by an older lady. He bowed respectfully.

"Lady Chika, I did not expect to see you out this late."

With an amused glint in her eyes, the old woman smiled nicely to the young shinobi in front of her.

"Young man, with this chakra burning like a hundred fires, I could not go to sleep."

Ok, he could have been more careful in the expression of his anger, or he could have done it farther away from the camp, that, he could admit. Still keeping a straight face and a normal voice he bowed again.

"My apologies. I did not mean to keep you awake like that. Good night, Lady Chika."

She nodded her head his way, laughing at the formality he was using with her. His eyes softened for a second at the sight of the happy old lady and continued on his way, relaxed. Her voice echoed into the night.

"You know, young Tobirama, someone can get really confused trying to convince their head of something their heart knows is a lie…"

Stopping dead in his track, he took the time to process her words. _What?_ Her small laugh could be heard behind him and when he looked her direction, she was gone. He shook his head. This old lady was definitely something else. Finally making it back to his tent, he went in and sat on his bed.

"What a day…" his voice was barely above a whisper.

Taking off his clothes, he got under the covers and drifted off, the words of old lady Chika plaguing his dreams.

* * *

The next morning, Madara woke up with a good feeling. They would finally get to create a village uniting both clans and starting an era of peace and friendship. Still laying in bed, he replayed the event of the day before. Everything was encased in his memory so vividly since he saw it with his sharingan. The way she threw the kunai with precision, hard enough to make Tobirama's katana fall, the way she stood there, weapon peeking out of her telling them how pathetic they were. She was right of course, but no one ever voiced it with such conviction. Or just voiced it for that matter. He just could not help but wonder why she was looking at him with such disgust… She might have heard of the Uchiha reputation and decided that she did not like him for some reason. Who knew? Slowly getting out of bed, Madara put on some clothes with the Uchiha crest on the back, and walked out of his tent.

Everyone at the Uchiha camp looked pleased with the events and the perspective of living in a village with the Senjus, to his surprise. Only a few of them were not to warm with the idea, but they would come around, he did not doubt it. Walking to his brother's tent, he entered without announcing his presence. What waited for him made him raise an eyebrow.

His brother was standing in front of his bed, looking at two different kimonos. One was black, like his and the other one was midnight blue. With a puzzled expression on his face, Izuna turned around and eyed his brother briefly.

"Which one should I wear for the negotiations?" Madara had a small chuckle.

"Does it really matter? Anyone you want to impress?"

Izuna blushed a little, embarrassed, and started fidgeting under his brother's insistent gaze.

"Well, SHE is going to be there and I want to make a good impression since the first time we met I threatened her, basically, and I stabbed her the second time we saw each other. So yes, Madara, it matters."

Madara nodded in his brother's direction. Yes indeed, he had to make a great impression.

"An apology an you on your best behavior might help more than what you are wearing, don't you think?" A smirk found his lips when Izuna's eyebrow twitched. "Wear the blue one, we need to be on our way."

His brother rolled his eyes and picked up the blue kimono. Soon they were walking towards the cliff. The whole way, Izuna tried to find a way to apologize to the pink haired kunoichi and huffed in frustration since everything that he could come up with was: Sorry I stabbed you, but thank you for saving my life! Also, I was a jerk the first time I saw you, I promise I am quite nice to be around!

Seeing the wheels spinning in his brother's head, Madara smiled lightly. _This will be interesting…_

* * *

Hashirama had a hard time to fall asleep the night before. He was scared that if he fell asleep, he would wake up and everything would only be a dream. That morning, the man was really happy. Stretching he got out of bed and took in the situation. _I need to thank Sakura properly…_ She was really god sent. Without her, who knows what could have happen?

Hashirama put on his clothes and exited his tent with a slight bounce in his step. The Senju camp was alive and people were laughing and getting their chores done. The atmosphere was pleasant and he was glad to see that everyone seemed fine with the recent developments. He made a detour to see Ari and give her some instructions and made his way to the center of the camp.

Grabbing some breakfast, he talked with many clansmen and asked them their opinion on the future village that would be built in the next few weeks. Most of them asked if they could have houses, and Hashirama was really happy to let them know that they would not live in tents anymore. Others wanted to know about the political structure of the village and to that, his answer was: That is what we are going to negotiate today, I will bring back the suggestions and let you know how we decide to proceed.

Seeing the sun getting quite high in the sky, he made his way to Sakura's tent so they could walk together.

* * *

Sakura woke up bright and early that morning and went to the river to practice her taijutsu and meditate, like she was doing quite often. She had to replenish her seal since she used a part of her reserve the day prior. Breathing in and out, her shoulders relaxed. She helped her Konoha. She was proud.

She could feel a pit in her stomach when she was thinking about her village and her friends. Would she go back home now? Did she have more things to achieve here? Would everything be back to normal and her friends still be alive if she was going back? Her mind now troubled, she opened her eyes and sighed. Why was it so hard.

Shrugging off her yukata, she dove in the water, letting the cold wash away her thoughts. She would know in time when she could go back. Swimming around for a few minutes, she went underwater, holding her breath. Everything was so calm here. Going to the surface, she rubbed her hair and got out rapidly, putting her yukata back on, not worried about it getting wet.

She left the calm of the river to go back to her tent, taking her time to admire the forest around her. Soon she would be back home. On her way, she bumped into Ari who was transporting a nice black material in her arms.

"Oh Sakura-sama! I was looking for you!"

"Please Ari-san, just Sakura. What can I do for you?"

"Hashirama-sama left this for you. It is a new kimono for the negotiations today. He and Tobirama-sama had me work on it for a while." Her eyes widened, looking down to what Ari was holding. What? For me? Ari gave dropped everything in Sakura's arms and with a bright smile bowed to her.

"I heard of what you did and I want to thank you. Now go and get ready, I think they will be leaving soon."

Sakura nodded, still in shock. Sure she had kimonos, but no one ever gifted one to her! Entering in her tent, she unfolded it on her bed. Bringing her hand to her mouth she gasped. _This is too beautiful, I can't possibly accept it…_

The kimono was made with a soft material. It was black with delicate pink cherry blossoms embroidered here and there. To complete it, there was bright red obi. Touching it hesitantly, she could not contain the tears in her eyes. _Stop crying, it's just a kimono!_ Yes, but it was given to her by the first and second Hokage, how crazy was that?

Taking in a deep breath, she took off her yukata and with great care, put on the black kimono. She struggled with the obi, but was able to put it on after a few tries. Taking her hair brush, she put her hair up in a high ponytail, leaving strands of pink to frame her face. With a quick look in the mirror, she left her tent and bumped into Hashirama who was waiting for her.

Seeing her in her new kimono, he took her shoulders and made her turn around a few times, smiling brightly. Sakura could only laugh at the gesture.

"My brother was right, this color suits you, how do you like it?" She blushed at him and squeezed his hand gently.

"I love it, thank you for your generosity." Letting go of his hand, she surveyed the camp and her eyes stopped on the other Senju brother. _So he chose the colors, interesting… _Soon, she would have to clear the air between them. Something was bothering him and she needed to know why he was now avoiding her. His behavior stung. As she thought they were growing closer, he was acting like an ice cube. Again. With a sigh, she brought her attention back to the brown haired Senju.

* * *

Tobirama decided to wear a black kimono today, ditching his normal midnight blue clothes and left his tent. His eyes widened when he saw her from afar and his traitorous heart skipped a beat. He was quite proud to say that he had great tastes by seeing how amazing she looked in the kimono. With the black of the material, her skin looked creamy and soft, and the sakuras were there as a reminder of her unusual hair color. For some reason, her eye color appeared even brighter.

Tearing his eyes from her form, he met his brother's gaze and frowned. Hashirama was smirking, seeing how his younger brother just devoured the pink haired kunoichi with his crimson eyes. Tobirama approached them and tried to act as if nothing happened. Standing next to his brother, he gave her a quick glance and a small nod, only acknowledging her presence, but did not miss her forced smile. He knew they had to talk, but he did not want to. Not when he was still furious.

"Now that we are all here, let's go to the cliff!" Hashirama offered his arm to Sakura who took it gracefully. She glanced Tobirama's way briefly but seeing his frown and the way he was avoiding her, she focused on the path and listened to Hashirama's happy blabbering.

Feeling that her attention was not on him anymore, Tobirama looked her way. He could see the graceful sway of her hips with every steps she was taking. He swallowed hard. Catching a glimpse of her neck, he could only wonder how it would feel to touch it, tilting her head backward and… _Stop this right now!_ He could feel his face getting a bit warmer and with all his might, pushed all those lustful thoughts away. _I'm still mad at her._

As the got closer to the meeting place, he had to will himself to rip his eyes off her. Doing so, his eyes met Izuna's who did not miss the way Tobirama was admiring the kunoichi. The Uchiha smiled his way with raised eyebrow. Tobirama, knowing someone caught him staring, frowned deeper and turned his head away.

Hashirama had to repress a chuckle because, like the Uchiha, he did not miss the intense attention he was giving to Sakura and meeting Madara's amused gaze made it harder to keep it together. Tobirama, who was one of the greatest shinobis, got caught like a kid stealing a cookie from the jar. It was obvious to everyone except Sakura, who was looking up at the sky and at the landscape surrounding them...


	11. Chapter 11

Note: Helloooo world! Here I am with an new chapter! I already started to write the next two chapters and I am super excited about it. My goal is to have this story completed by mid-may, since I'll be starting my full time summer semester at the university! That + full time work will be kinda crazy haha! I have many ideas for the next chapters and I surely hope you'll like them! Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

* * *

Chapter 11

After reaching the top of the cliff, Hashirama let go of her arm and went towards Madara to talk, Tobirama following him and standing between them, arms crossed.

Madara looked over the pink haired kunoichi and tilted his head to the side, she was an enigma. He barely knew anything about her except the fact that she was a skilled healer and a kunoichi. He was thankful for her intervention in the battle, but still had a lot of questions about her. He also wanted to know why she looked at him with such disgust the day prior. He knew they never met so he could not explain her behavior towards him. Frowning, he brought his attention back to his oldest friend.

"How did you get her to join your clan? Where is she from?" His voice was low enough so no one else could hear him. Hashirama sighed and casted a fast glance towards the kunoichi.

"We don't know where exactly she is from, but we know that her whole village perished during a war. A brutal one. We found her close to our camp one day. Tobirama told me that she basically appeared out of thin air! She is staying with us, never pledge allegiance to our clan, but the way she acts, she is like one of us… Most of my people now have a great deal of respect for her and some still don't trust her completely." Shaking his head, his face took a concerned expression. "Her losses are still very fresh, she does not talk about it often and when I tried to have her open to me, she just pushed me away. I trust her. She will tell us more about her story once she is ready, but for now, she is our medic and she helped us achieve our dream and that is enough for me."

Madara nodded, indeed it was enough. Staring at her for a second, his gaze softened slightly. Even though she saw war recently, she jumped in the fray of the battle without hesitation to spare so many lives on both sides. What kind of person was this Sakura exactly?

* * *

When the Senju leader left her side, Sakura walked towards the younger Uchiha and nodded her head politely with a small smile. Izuna bowed to her and smiled back, unsure. She was taken aback, because in all her life, she never saw Sasuke smile and seeing his almost exact replica directing a smile at her made her heart clench a bit. She could not help the bitter feeling rising in her chest when thinking about the man of her past.

"Sakura-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again so soon."

"Please, just call me Sakura, we will see each other quite often from now on so let's drop the formalities. Also, it's nice to see you under better circumstances this time!" She laughed and stopped when his smile dropped.

"About that, I wanted to say that I am really sorry about what I did to you yesterday and for the way we met the first time." Waving her hand in a dismissive manner she chuckled lightly.

"Believe me, I have been through worst. You are forgiven, I do not hold it against you." His shoulder relaxed after hearing her words. He was so scared of her reaction that he never thought she could forgive him! Looking over her shoulder, he could see Tobirama talking with his brother and Hashirama. The white haired Senju kept sending glances their way.

"Is Tobirama feeling well today, he seems a little bit off?" Huffing in frustration, she raised an eyebrow at Izuna.

"How should I know? He was acting this way yesterday after the battle and did not talk to me once since we got back to the camp." Smiling at her reaction, Izuna open his mouth to talk, but was called away by Hashirama.

"Pardon me, duty calls." She gave him a small nod and walked towards the cliff while he was joining the three men behind.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, she looked around. Konoha would stand in front of her someday, shining at night like a jewel. The Hokage monument would be right here and the tower a few meters away from it… She took in a shaky breath and almost chocked under the intense emotion, her eyes brimmed with tears. Her home. Trying to keep a sob from escaping her, she brought a hand to her mouth. _Right now is not the time to be emotional, get it together. _

* * *

Madara could see from his angle the frown on Sakura's face while she was looking down to the landscape. He did not miss her watery eyes and the shaky hand placed close to her mouth. Excusing himself, he left the group and approached her silently.

"Is there a problem with the emplacement we've chosen for the village?" Startled, she turned around and stiffened, seeing who just talked to her. The softness of his voice made her pause for a moment. Her eyes locked with his and she could see the concern in his onyx orbs. Madara Uchiha, concerned? This was far from the insane eyes she saw a few weeks ago back when the war was raging.

She needed to remember that this Madara was still sane and still had his brother. He was not the man she knew. Hell, for Hashirama to be his friend, he must be a good person, right? Getting over her disgust for his person, she breathed out. _I have to give him a chance. To make him feel accepted._ Shoulders relaxing, she tried a smile that came out a little shakier than she wanted it to.

"No, not at all. The emplacement is perfect. This place just reminds me of my home, that's all…" She answered with a neutral tone, not knowing how to talk to the one who basically killed all her loved ones. _Not the same man Sakura, get it together. _

"Ah, Hashirama just told me your story. I am glad you find this place acceptable. Without your help, it would probably remain unused for years." Standing next to her, he faced the emplacement of the future village and held his hands behind his back, standing straight, the breeze catching in his dark hair. He was an impressive man and the way he was acting with her made her feel a bit more at ease.

She laughed lightly, eyes lost in the memories of a different Konoha. Behind her, she felt Tobirama's chakra flare. Looking towards Madara, she could see that she was not the only one who felt it if the smirk on his lips was something to go by.

"I am glad I could make a difference." Bringing her attention back to the place where Konoha would stand one day, she missed the way Madara looked at her face. Activating his sharingan briefly, he could see the small frown on her face when she was looking in front of her and her watery eyes. Whatever made her feel that way must have been quite unpleasant. Deactivating his sharingan, he gently took her hand in his and squeezed it slightly. Looking down at their hands, she tried not to flinch at the contact.

"Sakura-san, you will have your place in this village. I know we can't replace what you lost, but hopefully, you can feel at home here with us."

Turning towards him, she gave him a surprised look. There was so much conviction and sincerity in his voice that it surprised her greatly. He was looking out for her even if he did not know her at all. That right there, the softness of his look on her got her decided to get to know the man better. She understood in that moment that Madara Uchiha had been a great person before losing everything. Now that she was thinking about it, his insanity in her future made more sense. Feeling a bit better about the whole thing, she put a delicate hand on his arm and met his eyes.

"Thank you, it means more to me than you'll ever know." Grabbing her arm nicely, he escorted her back to the group of men.

"Of course, you are more than welcome." She smiled at him, feeling better already. Who knew that he could be such a great comfort?

* * *

Izuna watched them approach. Since his brother left the conversation to got and talk to the kunoichi, Tobirama was distracted. The young Uchiha had to try his best not to laugh since the white haired man was frowning the whole time the pink haired medic and Madara were talking, looking in their direction every two seconds. Deciding to play with the Senju's emotions a bit he smiled. _This is going to be so entertaining!_

Everyone sat down on the ground, Sakura facing Izuna and Madara, Tobirama in diagonal on her right and Hahirama on her left. She took out a storage scroll from her kimono and unsealed some paper and brushes that were stored inside. Sheepish grin on his face Hashirama laughed. He was grateful that Sakura thought about bringing the essential to write down their ideas. Madara cleared his throat.

"Shall we begin?"

Everyone around him nodded their head and the meeting started. After a few hours, they took a piece of paper and were drawing plans for the village. The plan that came out was exactly the way Konoha was during her time. The only problem with that was the location of the Uchiha compound, weirdly suggested by Tobirama. Knowing what happened to the clan later on, Sakura took out a new sheet of paper and brought all of their attention to the new plan she was making.

"I think that putting the Uchiha compound on the outskirts of the village is not a good idea since people could think that the village was only founded by the Senjus. Let's not minimize their importance by isolating them." She gave a pointed look to Tobirama who crossed his arms on his broad chest, disapproving. Drawing two squares facing each other and separated by a street she explained. "The two founding clans should be at the center of the village since without them, none of this would be possible."

Madara nodded his head. He totally agreed with her there and was happy to see that she was neutral in the negotiations. Sakura was making sure that each clan got what they were owed. He was definitely happy to have her presence here for such a critical part of the creation of the village.

Drawing what would be the walls of the city, Sakura put four dots, north, south, east and west. Then, she drew a large rectangle close to the middle of the village. The four men were looking at her, perplex. Laughing at their expression, she explained again.

"This would be a fortified wall to protect the village from intruders. The four points are the main gates to go in and out of the village. They should be guarded by two people at least and those guards would have to note every information about who comes in and who goes out of the village. A village counting more than one clan is quite unheard of, let's not take any chances." All the men nodded, interested in the idea. Tobirama was looking at her strangely. Was this how her village used to work?

"What about this rectangle?" Izuna pointed a finger to it. Sakura smiled brightly.

"This would be the hospital. I put it there since it would almost be at equal distance from each gates."

In her time, the Konoha hospital was weirdly placed and way too far from some of the gates. At least, putting it there would make it easier for everyone to access it. Also, she placed it there for selfish reasons since she knew she would probably have to go from the hospital to the future hokage tower quite a lot. That way, it would be a shorter distance than the one she used to walk. Hashirama smiled.

"This is a great plan, we should go with that one instead of the other, what do you think?" Madara gave his approval.

That being done, they talked for hours about political structure, education, management of the forces and quite a few times when Tobirama was suggesting something she knew would turn out poorly in the future, she did not hesitate to let him know that there were better ways to do things. He was annoyed at her but quite happy when she supported his idea of a shinobi academy where kids would learn the basics and some needed skills.

She then started talking about healthcare. Sakura took her time to explain how a large hospital would be important, how she was planning to teach to new medics and the fact that they would have to think about modernizing the equipment. While she was talking about it, her eyes were bright and she could barely keep her excitement under control. She was creating Konoha's hospital, now, in this moment with the founders. Tobirama could not tear his eyes from her. She was shining while talking about medicine and her eyes were brighter then he ever saw them. Izuna smirked inwardly, seeing an opportunity to annoy Tobirama. Leaning towards Sakura, he used the softest and most appreciative voice, while looking at her in awe.

"It is so fascinating, Sakura-chan, I could listen to you all day. You talk about it with such passion!"

Flustered a bit, Sakura blushed a little, but seeing the younger Senju freeze, she understood what he was doing. For some reason, her interacting with the Uchihas made Tobirama uncomfortable. _Might as well play along. _

"Izuna-kun, I love what I do and I tend to get carried away when talking about it!" She saw Tobirama flinch in the corner of her eyes with the way she said Izuna's name and smirked inwardly. Finally, she was able to get a reaction out of him today. What she did not know is that she already got quite a few, but was the only one who did not realize it.

"Well, we shall make sure that your hospital is as great as your skills!" Bowing to her exaggeratedly, he gave her a large smile.

"You are flattering me, but thank you!"

Tobirama crossed his arms, frowning deeper than ever. When did the pink haired kunoichi had time to get in such good terms with Izuna? He did not know but he did not like it one bit. Deciding to cut their weird friendly display, Tobirama cleared his throat.

"Of course the hospital is important, but I don't see why we have to make a fuss about it when we are doing just fine with what we have right now." He wanted to play that game, she could too. Crossing her arms, she gave him a pointed look.

"Tobirama-_sama_, the day you find yourself in my hospital on the brink of death and I save your ass with all the modern equipment we will have, we can have that talk again." Her voice was icy and when their eyes locked she could see his surprise with her bluntness. Raising an eyebrow at him, she smiled when he averted his gaze. "Let's not forget that what we had was fine for one clan, but for two and maybe more, it definitely won't be enough." And he could not argue on that fact.

Meeting Madara's eyes, she saw that the situation was amusing him greatly. The Uchiha leader was impressed with the way she could voice her opinion so directly. Women tended to be more docile, but he had quite a lot of fun to see her put the younger Senju back in his place. Especially since it happened quite a few times during the day!

"Sakura-san, you sure know how to give your opinion in a conversation!" Her eyes met Madara's onyx one a second time and she smiled proudly.

"My shishou always told me I was too blunt. I learned that sometimes, you need to be in order to get your point across some people's thick heads."

Tobirama cringed, that one was meant for him, again. For the few hours the meeting lasted, she put him in his place quite a few times, a few times more than his pride was ok with. Briefly meeting her eyes with his crimson ones, he saw a flash of sadness behind her green orbs, but as soon as he saw it, it disappeared.

"I think we are quite done for today, we could start some of the construction tomorrow, how is that?" The excitement could be heard in Izuna's voice.

"Now that we have a plan, I don't see why not!" Hashirama clapped his hands together and got up, satisfied of the day they spent.

Looking around, everyone nodded their head and everybody got on their feet. The two Uchihas were talking to Hashirama, so Sakura saw that as a chance to talk with Tobirama about whatever was going on with him. Getting closer, she touched his arm and he flinched away from her. She frowned, not knowing the reason behind his reaction.

"May I talk to you?"

Tobirama looked at her. After all the blow she gave to his pride during the negotiations, talking to her was the last thing he wanted to do. Also, the fact that for some reasons, she was really close from both Uchihas made him feel really frustrated.

"Is this really necessary?" His voice was dry and cold.

Anger burned in the depth of her green eyes and she clenched her fists on each side of her body.

"It is! Would you stop acting like a child now? I don't understand what's going on with you." Without knowing, she raised her voice and caught the attention of the men talking a little farther.

He did not want to talk about it yet, especially not in front of a crowd, but she did not gave him any choice in the matter, confronting him at this moment. His voice was rumbling like thunder when he spoke.

"What you did yesterday was reckless and unnecessary. You should have thought about it before-" She did not let him the time to finish his sentence and she exploded.

"Before what?! Stopping a useless war? Oh please, you put the blame on me when the reason you are acting that way is your stupid wounded pride!" She could see his jaw clench at her words.

She could not believe it. He was blaming her for something that brought peace to the clans… She was tired. Tired of walking on eggshells with him. She felt like they had grown closer before the battle. She even thought that maybe, just maybe, their relationship was heading in a new direction, but she was clearly mistaken.

Helpless frustration bubbled in her and she fought to keep her tears at bay. Looking in his crimson eyes, she tried to search for an emotion, anything! But she could only find his cold hard stare. Feeling her control over her tears slip, she turned around and started walking back to the camp with an angry pace.

"Stupid Senju!" She mumbled loud enough that every one present heard her.

Tobirama watched her leave and did not miss the glint of tears escaping her eyes when she left. _Damn it! I can never get it right with her!_ Closing his eyes briefly, he breathed out. The worst part in all that, was that she was right. His pride was wounded since he played no part in the peace and let her get hurt in the process. Sure, she still healed herself, but got hurt nonetheless.

"You really don't know how to talk to women, do you?" Izuna's mocking voice angered him. Turning his head, he looked at the three other men standing not too far with their arms crossed on their chests. They were judging him. Hard.

"That's what I told him, but when it comes to her, it's like he's losing his common sense and acts like an idiot." Hashirama shrugged his shoulders. "If you like her, that's a very poor way to show it, brother."

"Like her? I don't-"

"Yeah, yeah, just keep telling yourself that Tobi. Why are you mad at her anyways?"

"It does not concern you." Frustrated to be called on his feelings, Tobirama huffed and teleported away with a quick hand seal, leaving the three of them on the cliff. The men stayed silent for a moment.

"He is not mad at her Hashirama." Madara's thoughtful voice surprised them. "He is mad at the fact that she got injured and there was nothing he could do about it." Looking at his friend, he added something interesting. "Your brother felt helpless, which was probably a first for him."

Looking at his oldest friend, Hashirama paused. That made so much sense. If he liked the girl, seeing her with that bad of an injury must have been frightening. Of course, Tobirama could not see it, but to everyone else, it was obvious that he felt more than friendship towards her. This situation was giving him a headache… Izuna was looking at his brother with wide eyes.

"Aaaand, since when are you an expert with human emotions?"

Madara huffed, annoyed, and started to make his way back home, his brother in tow. He was not an expert in emotions but he had eyes to see!

Hashirama stayed alone for a few minutes, thinking about his friend's words, then laughing, started to walk towards the camp.


	12. Chapter 12

Note: Sorry for the wait! I was about to post this chapter Monday, but I was really not happy with it so… I rewrote the whole thing! Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 12

The next few days passed without a hitch. Both clans were excited to finally start building the village and deep inside, Sakura was happy that everything worked out the way it did. Standing at the tree line, she looked around at the Uchihas and Senjus working together and smiled. This was good. Still, she felt a small pang of sadness deep inside of her. Now that she did what she had to do, why was she still here?

Right now, she would have given everything to have Ino here with her so she could vent and cry around a bottle of sake. Being with legends all the time was tiring. They were great, but lacked when it came to understand how she felt. Especially Tobirama. At the thought of his crimson eyes and pale hair, she huffed. That man… Sakura hated to hold grudges against people, but right now, she could not help it. She needed to talk to him, but with the way he treated her a few days ago, she did not feel like being the one to take the first step. She just needed him to understand what she did was for the greater good. How could he possibly understand her motivation if he did not know the truth about her, about her future? Sakura bit her lower lip. She could not let him know about her story. The truth. She wasn't ready yet..

The clansmen started to work on both compounds and on the construction of the hospital. Hashirama could do so much with his wood release so people still had to do some of the building. The atmosphere was pleasant and surprisingly, people were working hand in hand arguing sometimes, but nothing to be worried about.

* * *

Hashirama had the great idea to build Sakura's house first. His thought process was that she could use it as a medical clinic for the time being if anyone got injured. Within a day, a small house stood close to both compounds. It was simple with one main room, a bedroom with its own bathroom and a small back porch with stairs. It wasn't much, but to Sakura, it was perfect. It was hers. Something she could own when she did not have anything here. Once they finished the house, they installed a comfortable bed in her bedroom and brought her personnel effects in the small house so she could get settled. She was really grateful to have her own space, and for the first time in a while, she almost felt like she was home.

Hashirama found himself standing in the doorway, observing the kunoichi while she was unpacking her things. She was moving around slowly, looking serene for the first time since she appeared in their lives. Thinking about what he knew of her, he had a small feeling of guilt twisting his guts. She deserved more.

"I know this isn't a large house, Sakura-chan, but we can offer you something better once we get everything else done. This is all we can give you right now…" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, showing his embarrassment.

"Hashirama, this house is just fine. I don't need more." Laughing lightly, her green orbs met his dark ones. "I wouldn't know what to do with all the space if I had something bigger." Placing her medical supplies on a shelf in the kitchen, her features softened and he knew she spoke the truth. She looked almost… Happy? His heart at ease, he let out a small chuckle.

"I am glad you like it. Let me know if you need anything else." Seeing her nod, he left the small house feeling lighter.

* * *

Since the negotiations, she had a few conversations with the Uchiha brothers. Madara asked for her opinion quite often, which made her smile. She knew he appreciated her help during the negotiations, and was flattered when he told her that she had a great insight when it came down to political problems, which is why he was not hesitating to get her help with some delicate clan matters. On her hand, she found out that he was a great listener and was really good at observing and taking decisions rationally. She surprised herself a few times, going towards him when she had important decisions to take regarding the hospital. He had great input on all things and never judge her point of view. Soon, he became some kind of pillar in her everyday life and she was grateful to have him. She realized really fast that Madara was really curious and passionate about everything he did, but always hid behind his cold and stoic demeanor.

* * *

Another week passed and there was still a wall between her and Tobirama. With all the activity around her and the hospital requiring her undivided attention, she barely had time to sleep, let alone approach the man for such sensitive matter. After some times, their disagreement seemed so trivial compared to everything they had to do for the village to run smoothly, so she just decided to let it rest for now. She liked him, a lot if she was being honest. And maybe she missed him a little. He was really good to challenge her mentally, and could be of good company. Of course, she would see him around the budding village, she would work with him, but they only talked when necessary, which, for some reason made her sad. Sad that he forgot about their weird friendship. About their spar. About whatever was going on between them. Replaying the moments he left her to go to the battlefield, the way he looked at her, she could not have imagined the connection they had.

That day, they happened to work together on a project related to the hospital, thanks to Hashirama. After giving them an incredibly tall pile of documents, he asked them to review the guidelines and procedures for the hospital and left soon after. Sakura rolled her eyes. She hated paperwork and right now she hated doing paperwork with Tobirama of all people even more. Hearing the door closed, Sakura huffed.

Looking up, green met red. They stared at each other for a few minutes, trying to find out what the other was thinking. Sakura's eyes were daring him to say anything. His face was stoic but she could see a hint of a question in the depth of his eyes. She clenched her jaw when Tobirama opened his mouth to say something. Losing her courage and not ready to have a conversation yet, she took half of the pile of documents and shoved them in his hands. Walking away from him, she sat at the opposite side of the table with her own pile and started to study them.

She missed the way his shoulder slumped slightly and the disappointed frown that appeared on his face. Making his way to his side of the table, he sighed and sat, opening the first folder in front of him.

Tobirama probably did not know but, when she was not working with him, Sakura was observing him. The way he was helping everyone, Uchiha included, the way he was spreading his sensor abilities around the village a few times per hour to insure the safety of everyone working. He was everywhere, and he was the first thing she was looking for every time she was out and about. She would never admit it, but her shoulders did relax when she knew he was around.

After being done with her first file, she raised her eyes slightly, gazing at him. He looked quite frustrated. She could see the muscles of his jaw clenching and relaxing a couple of times. What was he thinking about? Her eyes wandered on his face. Without his happuri, she could see his sharp jawline, delicate cheekbones… His hair was falling freely on his forehead in a disorganized mess that somehow made him look so young. His red eyes were matching the color of his markings. That man was really handsome. Her heart started to beat faster, for some obscure reason. Tilting her head, she continued her observation, noting how different he and Sasuke were. _Wait. Why am I comparing him to Sasuke?_

* * *

Sakura did not know that Tobirama was also looking for her everywhere he went. That, when he was extending his sensor abilities, he was trying to find her chakra signature first to make sure she was alright. His red eyes followed her when she was around, admiring her bright green eyes while she was supervising the construction of the hospital, heart skipping a beat when he was hearing her laugh. She did not know that every time he saw her with one of the Uchiha, his mood would worsen. But no, he was not jealous. He really wanted to address the problem between the two of them, but never knew how. So he waited for an opening. Opening that did not present itself yet.

Being stuck in a room with her, alone, would have been the perfect time to bring up what was bothering him and ask for her forgiveness, which he tried to do. She just shut him down before he even could with paperwork shoved his way. Looking at the file in front of him without seeing it, he thought about the way she looked at him when his brother left. She was daring, yes, but when he was about to talk, he could have sworn he saw something akin to fear flashing through her emeralds. What was she afraid about? Him? Pinching the bridge of his nose, he breathed out. He felt stupid. This whole thing started because of him, and now he was only making it worst. Hell, she probably hated him right now.

Raising his gaze, his eyes met hers briefly and she averted hers rapidly, blushing. Why was she staring at him and why did she react that way?

* * *

One morning, about a week from the assignment she worked on with the younger Senju, an overly happy Hashirama ran towards Sakura holding something in his hand. Stopping in front of her, she had to repress a laugh. He was beaming, smiling widely like a kid in a candy store.

"Hashirama-sama, are you alright?" He laughed and took one of her hand in his.

"I am feeling amazing!" He almost shouted.

"There must be a reason behind all that happiness today, right?" She could not help the giggle escaping her lips, and the fond smile spreading on her face.

"Sakura-chan, a man can't be happy when his dreams are becoming reality?" Winking at her, he motion towards the village to prove his point.

"Yes, but it looks like there is more to your happy mood than you are letting on, Hashirama." Tilting her head, she put her hands on her hips, giving him a curious look.

"Well, today is just a great day! I will see you later!" After saying that, he started walking with a slight bounce in his step, and she had to admit, it was endearing to see him that happy. Too focused on Hashirama, she did not see Madara stopping next to her arms crossed on his chest.

"He just received a scroll a few hours ago. His betrothed, Mito Uzumaki, will arrive at the end of this week. Their marriage will happen shortly after." His voice contained fondness for his closest friend and looking at him, she could see he was happy for Hashirama.

"I see! This is great news!" It truly was. Sakura could now breathe a little easier. The thought never crossed her mind but at this moment, she was really happy. Hashirama and Mito getting married meant that Tsunade would be born one day, and that in itself was amazing.

"Hn."

She laughed and looked at the tall Uchiha walking away from her. His non committal grunt clearly meant that the conversation was over. She rolled her eyes. _Uchiha_.

Bringing her attention back to Hashirama who farther away, laughing and talking with everyone he met, her thoughts wandered. _Love_. Hashirama was in love and it made his eyes so bright. Did she ever looked that way when she proclaimed herself in love with Sasuke? No she wasn't, because she had never been in love to begin with…

Leaning against a tree, she crossed her arms and frowned. No, she did not know how love felt like. She loved the idea of loving the last Uchiha up until he tried to kill her. She did not love him. He certainly did not love her. What did it even feel like to be loved?

Her eyes caught a flash of white and her train of thoughts was interrupted. Looking up she could see Tobirama working with the men on some of the houses. He was wearing his black shinobi pants and his blue sleeveless shirt was clinging to his torso. She could almost hear Ino making a salty comment in the back of her head. A small smile stretched her lips at the memory of her friend.

Not able to look away, her eyes wandered from his abdomen to his broad shoulders, stopping to his perfectly sculpted biceps glistening with sweat. Scars marred his pale skin, testament of the battles he fought in his life, but for some reason, it made him even more attractive. He chuckled to something one of the men said and her heart skipped a beat when his lips curled up in a small smile. She had never seen him looking so carefree. It suited him.

Something inside her stirred and she started to feel a strange warmth in her belly. _What was that about._ Continuing her staring, her heart stopped when his eyes met hers. Thinking about another moment where she stared and he caught her,she started blushing but did not avoid the contact. Trying to calm the weird fluttering of her heart, she brought a hand to her chest. His gaze was intense and curious with something else she could not quite describe. It was just making her feel… Wanted? No. Could it be?

When the ghost of a smile stretched his perfectly shaped lips, Sakura shook her head and left rapidly. She had to walk away, definitely needing some time to put her thoughts back together. What just happened? Why did she even stand there ogling him? Mortified with the situation, Sakura tried to will the blush away from her cheeks to no avail.

Madara was coming back to talk to her about a thought he had for the hospital when he witnessed the moment between the pinkette and the white haired shinobi. _These two are so stupid. The attraction is obvious like a nose in the middle of a face._ Sighing, he matched his pace to hers for the second time that day.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan? You look like you have a fever."

"I-I am fine." She stuttered and avoided to look in his direction. "I am sorry, I need to eh… go and supervise some things." Bowing stiffly, she left him standing there, amused.

Holding her heart, Sakura went to the river and sat on the rock. What the heck. Why did it feel this way? When he looked at her, she felt like something was melting inside of her, like lava was running in her veins. She could definitely say that, never in her entire life, had she felt something similar. _I might be going crazy_.

* * *

Tobirama's attention was drawn to her when he felt her chakra and his brother's not so far from him. Of course, he knew about Mito and her arrival, so his brother's behavior was not surprising. He then watched his brother leaving and Madara talking to Sakura. He clenched his jaw. It seemed that the Uchiha really liked her and it did not sit well with him...

When the Uchiha left the kunoichi, he could see she was pondering some information. What did they talk about? Tilting his head, he observed her. Sakura was frowning, leaning against a tree, deep in some thoughts. He did not have enough time to think longer about it since one of the clansman caught his attention, so he went back to work. He helped the men lifting a beam and laughed when someone said something about how Hashirama should learn to build houses with his wood release.

Feeling someone watching him, he looked up only to meet deep green eyes staring at him. Since their assignment in the office, it was the first time he saw her more than a few minutes. He did not avert his gaze. He could see that she was wearing her signature sleeveless red shirt and her long black pants showing her perfect curves. She was a pretty woman... The thought hit him and made him smile slightly. He saw her shaking her head and turn her back on him.

Tobirama watched her form retreat and let out a sharp breath. Did he really see a spark of… appreciation in her eyes or did he imagined it? No, it was clearly there... But there was something else. It was something warmer, something that made him tense. Desire? Probably not. Shaking his head he laughed inwardly, he would really have to talk to her sooner than later because he was starting to imagine things. Getting back to his task, he tried to think about anything else that would not distract him but failed miserably. He rolled his eyes. _Women are so complicated!_

* * *

A few days passed and before she knew, it was the end of the week. Mito was scheduled to arrive later that night, so everyone tried their best to finish the last touches in the Senju compound where she would reside. Hashirama was overly happy and was getting on everyone's last nerves since he wanted everything to be perfect for the arrival of his significant other.

Tobirama had a hard time to be happy about the situation since his mind was occupied by a pink haired lady that was basically unreachable. Since he caught her staring at his body for the second time, might he add, he could clearly see that she was trying to avoid him. He even tried to talk to her once, but at soon as he said her name, she bolted in a different direction saying she had things to do and to supervise. On the other hand, he was feeling guilty, since she was distant with him because of their conversation a few weeks prior and by looking at her the way he did, it probably did not help his cause.

There they were, standing at the North gate waiting for the Uzumaki. Hashirama and Tobirama on the left, Sakura in the middle and the two Uchiha brothers on her right. Soon enough, they saw a small group walking in their direction. Hashirama tensed a bit, a little nervous and he started fidgeting. Smiling up to him, Sakura patted his shoulder. Relaxing a bit, his eyes went back to the road.

Mito was a really beautiful woman. She was walking with a confidence and a pride that could make any princess jealous. She had a perfect oval face and beautiful piercing dark eyes. Her red hair was put up in two buns, leaving strands of hair to frame her face… And she had the same seal Sakura did, which did not go unnoticed by anyone. Except Hashirama since he only had eyes for his future wife.

After looking at her for a minute, Sakura smiled, just a little nervous. It was not everyday that you get the chance to meet your master's grandmother while being in the past… Hashirama walked forward and held the Uzumaki's hand gently, murmuring something to her that made her laugh. Taking a few steps forward Hahsirama started the introductions.

"Mito, you remember my brother, Tobirama." The white haired Senju nodded his head politely, relaxed expression on his face. Sakura could only look at him. He was not frowning nor was he smiling, but there in his red eyes was so much warmth and happiness when he took in the sight of his happy brother and beautiful betrothed.

"Let me introduce you to Madara Uchiha and his younger brother Izuna." Smiling to the men, she bowed elegantly.

"Enchanted. I have heard so much about you. Hashirama has you placed in high esteem." Seeing the way Madara's face lit up was priceless. Standing a little straighter, his lips quirked up slightly.

"I heard a lot about you as well, Lady Mito. It is a pleasure to finally meet my friend's significant other." He bowed slightly to her and Hashirama took her towards the pink haired kunoichi.

"And let me introduce you to the one who made this whole thing possible." Hashirama smiled brightly. Mito looked at Sakura and her eyes locked on the diamond situated on her forehead. No one but her knew that seal so seeing it on someone else was quite a shock. "Her name is Sakura. She is a great healer and an amazing kunoichi."

Not letting anything out about her surprise, Mito took Sakura's hands in her own and gave her a warm smile.

"It is really nice to meet you. I hope the men treated you well." Giving the four men a glance, she could see their attention shifting towards the white haired Senju briefly. Smiling inwardly, Mito took in Tobirama's rigid stance and quirked an eyebrow. Interesting. Bringing her attention back to the other woman. "I am sure we will become really good friends, Sakura-san."

"I sure hope so, Mito-sama." Sakura smiled brightly. She did not miss the way the red haired woman stared at her forehead and could already see the questions coming. Keeping her calm she stood still.

Mito was really curious about a few tings. First, where was Sakura from? She only started to hear about the medic a few weeks ago in Hashirama's letters. Every time it was a brief mention of her, nothing too detailed. Second, to get this seal, she had to be related to the Uzumaki clan or somewhat acquainted to them, which she was not. Mito would remember a pink haired girl. The red haired woman did not have any animosity towards Sakura. On the contrary, she was quite curious about the girl because in order to get the purple diamond, she had to have great chakra control. The final point was, why was Tobirama Senju flustered? Everyone knew that the man was basically never showing any emotions, but here he was fidgeting with his kunai pouch glancing at the kunoichi from times to times… This would definitely be fun!

Sakura was surprised. Since she got here, she was helping people, never really developing new relationships, except for the ones she had with the founders. The way Mito looked at her, grabbed her hand just made her feel like she was home. Like something was finally right. There was something about the red head that drew her in. Something familiar and warm… She just could not explain it.

Decided, Mito stepped forward and suddenly grabbed Sakura by the arm. Giving a smile to the men surrounding them, she tilted her head lightly.

"Since Sakura-san has been here with you all alone, her and I have a lot of things to talk about." Looking pointedly in Tobirama's direction, she smiled when he flinched imperceptibly. "If you do not mind Hashirama, she can give me a quick tour of the village and I can meet you later for dinner."

Bowing to Mito, Hashirama gave her a loving smile.

"Of course! If you need anything, just let me know."

In a matter of seconds, Mito had them walk in the opposite direction towards the hospital under the surprised looks of the four men. The leaders and their brothers exchanged a worried look._ These two would cause trouble for sure..._

* * *

The women stayed silent for a while, enjoying the small walk. Sakura looked around could say she was proud of the men and women's efforts over the pas weeks. Slowly, she saw thing growing and the village was being shaped into something almost familiar to her. Looking to the woman next to her, she realized that she was staring at her. Sakura broke the silence.

"I am glad you had a safe trip here, Mito-sama. I know Hashirama was looking forward to have your presence here. He was impossible today if I can be honest with you!" Mito giggled lightly.

"He can be a handful sometimes, I agree. Please Sakura, just use my name. Mito is fine." Sakura looked at her with wide eyes but nodded. A comfortable silence surrounded them, broken only by people working. Mito's expression became a bit more serious.

"Sakura, pardon me to ask this so bluntly, but where did you learn this?" She pointed at the purple diamond.

Sakura brought a hand to her forehead and she looked in the distance, eyes lost in a haze. Of course she would get a question about this seal. She was talking to the grand mother of her shishou for god's sake. Smiling sadly, Sakura closed her eyes tightly. Breathing out, she looked back at Mito's face who only showed curiosity and concern.

"My shishou thought me how. Tsunade… She is long gone." Mito felt her heart clench, hearing the last part. Thinking about the situation, Mito came to a conclusion. Sakura was not telling her everything. No one named Tsunade ever came into their clan to learn this. Considering that she taught this technique to a handful of people, she would remember if she had a student with that name.

"Tsunade, what a pretty name…" Looking up at the pink haired kunoichi, she smile gently. "I am sorry Sakura, I did not mean to bring such unpleasant thoughts to you especially so soon after meeting you. You see, this seal is a technique from my clan and I was curious as to how you achieved it…"

Seeing the closed expression on Sakura's face, Mito decided to let it go. How or from whom she learned it did not matter. Sakura seemed worthy of this technique and that was the final thought she had on the situation. She would get her answer one day maybe, when they would know each other better.

"It's ok. I get this question quite often." She waved her hand like everything was fine but Mito could still see some sadness in her green eyes. "Let me show you the progress we are making in the village."

* * *

Going around, Sakura pointed the hospital and explained to Mito the basic plan of it, how she intended to run it and some of the ideas she had. Mito was impressed, the pink haired healer thought about almost everything regarding the village's healthcare. Her sad eyes were brightening the more she talked about how she could save even more lives. The Uzumaki was wondering how many people she lost in her life to be so animate about saving so many of them.

Soon they found themselves standing in front of the Senju compound and Sakura bowed to Mito.

"It was a pleasure to show you around. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back home." Sakura took a step to leave, but Mito grabbed her arm gently.

"Nonsense, Sakura-san, stay with us for dinner. I insist. You were so kind as to show me around, it would be a pleasure for us to have you over."

Sakura's eyes widened. She did such a great job to avoid Tobirama the past few days that going into the Senju compound for dinner sounded quite… counterproductive. Right? Glancing nervously at the door, she tried a smile.

"I can't accept, I do not want to intrude-" She jumped when Hashirama opened the door of the compound.

"You are far from intruding, come in!"

Gulping, her look went from Hashirama to Mito. They were both waiting for her answer and by the resolve in their eyes, they would not take no as an answer. A defeated sigh crossed her lips.

"It would be my pleasure to dine with you."

Letting her go first in the compound, Hashirama and his future wife walked behind her, exchanging an amused smirk. Of course, the few times Hashirama mentioned Sakura in his letters were to tell her about the unresolved tension between his younger brother and the girl!

* * *

Dinner went by without any major uncomfortable moment. For some reason, Sakura and Tobirama ended up on the same side of the table. At first, it was a bit awkward, but Hashirama passed the sake to her pretty soon and she ended up drinking enough not to care about the closeness of the young Senju anymore. They did not exchange any words directly but were both participating in some of the conversations. She learned really fast that he was not talking unless he had something useful to add to the conversation, but when he did, it sounded like he had thought about it for a while. She was impressed. Tobirama on his part, realized how quick-witted Sakura was, giving her opinion passionately with all her heart. He caught himself staring at her a few times, delighted when she gave her input on a subject.

Mito was listening to the conversations for most of the dinner and had to hide a few smiles behind her cup of sake when she saw the way Sakura and Tobirama were avoiding to talk to each other. They were a contradiction. Avoiding to talk but glancing at each other when the other person was not looking... Growing curious, Mito was resolved to ask Sakura about the nature of their relationship.

* * *

Once dinner was over, Mito brought Sakura with her to sit next to the window, while Tobirama and Hashirama stayed behind at the table talking about clan issues. Smiling to herself, Mito gave another cup of sake to Sakura, trying to get her to talk more freely and with less inhibitions. She knew that were at earshot from the men and decided to use this at her advantage.

"So, if I may ask, what is going on with you and Tobirama?" Taking a sip of her drink, Sakura snorted and brought her hand to her face, ashamed of this unladylike sound. Giggling a bit more, she met Mito's curious eyes.

"Oh, you were serious?"

"Well, yes. He seemed to be looking at you quite a bit during dinner and you did the same thing. He is a good man and he is handsome, you can understand why I assumed…"

Sakura's eyes found Tobirama's back and her gaze softened, which did not go unnoticed by her conversation partner. Being a little more tipsy then what she expected, she could not hold her thoughts about the man. Sakura raised her voice a bit more than she wanted to.

"Nothing, there is nothing between us. He is handsome, I'll give you that." Then she whispered, in thoughts. "Quite handsome, and charming when he wants to be, but I think he sees me more like an annoyance or some kind of burden right now." Mito's eyebrow shot up. Was Sakura blind? Could she not see the way he was looking at her?

"How so?"

"That, I do not know. I just feel like-" Biting her lower lip, Sakura stopped and met Mito's eyes. "I have no idea as to where we are standing right now. I thought-" a small huffing sound crossed her lips. "It's not important.." She shook her head and pausing, eyes staring at the floor, she finally brought her sake cup to her lips and drank the whole thing.

She wanted to mention the way she felt when they were sparring that time before the war, the burning feeling she had the other day when she saw him there, working with the others, but could not bring herself to say it out loud. Say that she might be attracted to the him... How could one moment almost make her forget the way he became so cold and distant towards her right after the battle?

* * *

Tobirama might have had his back turned on both women during the night but he could understand every words of their conversation. He frowned when he heard what Sakura thought he felt towards her. An annoyance? She was no such things! He just could not bring himself to voice the reason why he had been so furious at her after the battle. He could not be honest because it made him feel weak. Because he just might-

Tobirama was taking out of his thoughts by his brother snapping his fingers in front of him.

"Hey, you listening?"

Nodding, they went back to their conversation, but her words still echoed in his mind. He would have to talk to her.

* * *

The rest of the night found Sakura and Hashirama throwing themselves into a drinking contest for some reason, and surprisingly, Sakura won. Both were highly intoxicated. She could not remember why it started, but she had to win it or else she had never been Tsunade Senju's apprentice. Tobirama, who thought his brother had the best alcohol tolerance was in shock seeing this tiny little woman out-drink Hashirama, but again, it was Sakura.

After her victory, they all sat at the table and Sakura placed her elbow on the table, head in her palm. Hashirama was loud and his laugh probably woke up the whole Senju clan and Sakura was stuttering and had a permanent flush on her face. At some point, Mito snaked her arm around Hashirama's waist, supporting his weight and helped him up. Smiling mischievously, she looked in the younger Senju's direction.

"I will make sure your brother finds his room, then I'll retire for the night. Would you be so kind as to make sure that Sakura makes it home?" Looking at the pinkette, Mito frowned. "Actually, let her stay here tonight, she should not be home alone in this state."

Looking down at Sakura who was almost sleeping with her head on the table he wanted to answer but turning towards Mito, he realized she was already gone. Groaning he crossed his arms on his chest. _Do I look like a babysitter?_

Crouching to get to Sakura's level, he shook her shoulder gently, trying to get her attention.

"Sakura-san, you need to rest. Come with me I'll help you to your room." Two big green eyes opened and she stared at him silently, mind processing his words. Losing his patience Tobirama sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Follow me of I'll carry you."

Like a lightening bolt, she got on her feet so fast that Tobirama almost fell backward. Looking up at her, he paused for a moment. Even intoxicated, she was alert. Standing in front of him, unsteady on her feet, she tried to take a step forward. Seeing her tumble forward, he reached out and stabilized her, holding her waist. When his hands found her waist, he could feel the muscles of her abdomen under his fingers. She was so strong, yet so soft... Glaring at him, she swatted his hands away.

"I can walk on my own just fine, thank you very much. I am still avoiding you." Her voice was heavy and she was slurring her words. She crossed her arms on her chest and pouted, trying to stand straight.

_At least, she admits that she was avoiding me._ Shaking his head he decided to let her attempt to walk again only to oblige her. When he had to catch her for the second time, he rolled his eyes. Bending slightly, he put his arm under her knee and the other one on her back, carrying her bridal style.

Soon enough, he realized it was a mistake when she started struggling against him. Tightening his grip around her, she stopped fighting rapidly and he felt he breath even out. A deep blush raised to his cheeks when she relaxed against his chest and snuggled, pressing her whole body closer to him, throwing one of her arm around his neck. Feeling her warm body so close and her breath tickling his neck, he closed his eyes, breathing deeply. What was she doing to him… This... Feeling should not have been so pleasant.

_Damn it_. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked down. She was really pretty with her soft eyelashes, soft skin lit up by the fire and her parted lips. It was almost painful for him to look at her. How could she look so small and fragile when she was a force of nature?

"Tobirama…" Feeling her lips brushing his collarbone when she whispered, he stood a little straighter, trying to fight the shiver running down his spine. Her voice was so soft...

The white haired Senju stood there, in the middle of the hallway fighting against this warm feeling for a few minutes. Gaining back some sort of control over his body, Tobirama carried her to one of the unoccupied room and delicately put her in bed. Pulling the blanket over her, he stopped at the door and glanced back. The moon outside was giving her a surreal glow that made her look like some sort of deity blessing their world with her presence.

He did not want to admit it, but his brother might have been right. Maybe he liked her. Just maybe…


	13. Chapter 13

Note: Sorry for the wait! But here it is. Enjoy!:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Chapter 13

Two things woke her up that morning. The first one being a pounding headache and the second one being a stupid ray of sun hitting her eyes. Groaning, she turned around, pulling the blanket over her head. _Just five more minutes…_

Hashirama's loud laugh somewhere in the house prevented her to fall back in her peaceful slumber. _So much or sleeping in this morning!_ Wait. What was he doing in her house? Sitting abruptly in the bed, Sakura felt a wave of nausea hit her. Breathing in deeply, she tried to remember last night's events. She showed the village to Mito, had dinner at the compound, talked and drank with Hashirama and… the rest of it was just a blur. Her green eyes widened when a memory hit her. She had told Tobirama that she was avoiding him. _Someone kill me right now._

Putting a pillow on her face, she flopped back on the bed and groaned even louder. Drinking copious amount of alcohol was not a great idea. She was always too sincere once she was drunk. Tsunade had the habit of getting her drunk when she wanted to get something she did not want to talk about out from her. Wincing as another wave of pain hit her brain, she pushed healing chakra in her hand and got rid of her headache. Sakura took her head into her hands. She did not remember much more of last night, but she really hoped she did not mention her story. Just thinking about her past being out in the open made her shiver. _Get yourself together, you'll need to face the situation, whatever it is._

She slowly got on her feet and walked to the door. So she was still at the Senju compound… Stopping at the door frame she frowned. _How did I get to bed?_ Shaking her head, she brushed it off, walking towards the voices she could hear down the hall. Her steps lead her to the dinning room where she entered, rubbing her eyes to chase the last remnant of sleep.

As soon as she came into view, the conversations stopped and she could feel eyes on her. _Shit. What did I do_. Looking up, she saw the group installed at the table. Both Senju and both Uchiha brothers were there and Mito was sitting on the other side of the table, drinking her tea. Madara cleared his throat and focusing her attention on him, the glint of amusement in his eyes do not go unnoticed.

"Looks like you slept quite well, Sakura-chan." Bringing his cup of tea to his lips, he hid his growing smirk, his eyes never leaving her. Sakura reached up and touched her hair only to realize that it was sticking out in all directions. Pouting, she ran her hands through it, trying to fix it as best as she could without her brush, which turned out to be more difficult then she expected.

Izuna, seeing her pouting face snorted and started laughing loudly. Still trying to fix her hair, her eyes met Tobirama's. She blushed furiously when she saw the small smirk on his lips. Could people stop making fun of her this morning?!

Grumpy, she walked around the table, her footsteps loud on the wooden floor, to the only available seat which happened to be right next to the white haired shinobi. Slumping in her chair, she grabbed a plate and put a variety of fruits in it. Before she knew it, Tobirama placed a fuming cup of coffee in front of her. She looked at the god's nectar, relieved when the amazing smell hit her. Looking carefully in Tobirama's direction, she noted that he was not looking at her but gave her a small nod, drinking from his cup. For some reason, Izuna's hilarity only grew and his laugh got even louder. Even if she took care of her headache, her head was still sensitive to loud noise, so was her pride. She cringed and glared at Izuna.

"I swear Uchiha, if you continue to laugh at my expense this morning, I will not hesitate to punch you through next week." She spat his last name with so much anger that it killed Izuna's hilarity in an instant. Remembering how she created a crater in the ground the first time they met, he gulped. Hashirama looked at the younger Uchiha, giving him a shit-eating grin, shrugging his shoulders.

Tobirama was happy not to be at the end of her anger. He did not even doubt that she would act on her threat if someone continued to laugh at her. At least, he was in her good grace since he gave her some coffee. Right?

Sakura took the cup of coffee carefully and took a long gulp of the dark liquid. Her shoulders relaxed slightly and a happy sigh escaped her lips. Avoiding everyone's gaze, she brought her attention to her food, taking a piece of fruit and eating it slowly, slumping back in her chair.

Hashirama clapped his hands together and got up.

"Anywho, I am glad you are joining us Sakura. Since it is already mid-March, I went to the field and had a word with the people working on the hospital and they said that it would be ready by the end of the day! Isn't this great!" Everyone nodded but Sakura sat straighter and froze. She looked up at him, indecipherable expression on her face.

"Wait. What day is it?" Her voice was low and she was frowning. Reaching for her coffee cup, her hand shook slightly. Hashirama, oblivious to her emotional change, smiled.

"Today is March 16th I believe!"

Sakura who was bringing her cup to her lips stopped moving. Frozen. Next to her, Tobirama caught her mood change, tilted his head and observed her. She was still there, coffee cup an inch from her lips, eyes glazed over like she was caught in some a inner turmoil. What caused such a change?

Her head was spinning. March 16th. In a little more than 10 days, she would turn 20. She would get older. Without her friends. Her eyes dropped and she looked into her mug, hands shaking slightly. After a few minutes, people caught her distressed position and silence surrounded them, all eyes on her. Her grip on the mug loosened and soon, warm hands were around hers. The touch was comforting and grounded her, brought her back to the present situation. Looking at the owner of said hands, she met concerned crimson eyes. Slowly, not to scare her, he took the cup from her shaking hands and put it on the table, eyes never leaving hers.

Sakura looked around her, seeing the curious of every single person sitting at the table. Not able to face questions, she brusquely got on her feet and walked out of the dinning room without a word. Her shaky legs carried her home. Closing the door behind her, she slid down on the ground and tears flowed from her eyes. Sobbing, she gripped her hair tightly. She was so busy creating a strong foundation for the future village that she forgot about her birthday, her friends… Her real life.

* * *

Tobirama watched her leave. Staying silent for a few minutes, he stared at her coffee mug and frowned. Yes, her morning started abruptly with people laughing, but the reason she was hurt was more personal. He could feel it. What made her feel that way? He saw how her body posture changed from relaxed to rigid in a matter of seconds. What was so special about the date of the day? Also, why did he feel the need of touching her when pain flashed through her eyes? To tell the truth, he grabbed her hands without thinking. He felt like she needed an anchor, and it just happened to be him.

Mito looked around the room.  
"What just happened? Does any of you know what that was about?"

Izuna and Hashirama shook their head, but Tobirama did not move, still deep in thoughts. Madara sighed.

"I am sure Hashirama told you about her past?" Mito nodded so Madara continued. "It might be something about it that came back to hit her while we were talking. What? I do not know."

"I will go to her and ask her then…" Mito was about to get up, but Hahsirama's hand on her thigh prevented her to do so.

"I know that you care about her, Mito, but believe me, you need to let her figure it out and when she'll be ready, she will come around." Seeing the serious expression of her betrothed, she understood that it wasn't the first time it had happened. Nodding her head, she sat down and looked at her plate. She wanted to know so many things about the pink haired kunoichi, but like everyone else, she would know it in time.

* * *

March 18th, the hospital had been ready for quite a few days already and Sakura was gladly locking herself up in her office, doing paperwork and healing people who needed it. She did not want to think about her birthday. Because when she did, she just remembered the way she celebrated it with her friends before the war. And that memory only, was tearing a whole through her heart. Since that morning two days ago, none of the founders had the chance to talk to her. They could only see a glimpse of pink hair here and there. Mito was starting to get worried, since she could see the dark circles under the kunoichi's eyes whenever she was around. Whatever caused her distress was probably keeping her up at night...

That day, Mito was walking to the hospital and bumped into Izuna. She smiled at the younger Uchiha and tilted her head.

"What are you doing here Izuna, are you injured?" He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. A slight blush colored his cheeks but soon enough, he gained back his composure and cleared his throat.

"Actually, I saw Sakura-chan yesterday and by the way she looks, I think she needs to get dragged out of that hospital for lunch at least." Seeing the concern in his onyx eyes, Mito grabbed his arm.

"I am here for the same reason, let's try to get her out of there."

Nodding, Izuna walked in the hospital with the Uzumaki and slowed his pace close to the nurses station. Mito pulled on his arm and arched an eyebrow his way. Snapping out of whatever thought he had, he followed her, not without glancing back twice. They made their way through the new corridors of the hospital until they reached the pink haired medic's office. Without knocking, both of them just entered.

Sakura was there, but did not acknowledge their presence. The only thing that betrayed the fact that she knew they were in front of her was the brief pause of her pen on the paper. Then she just continued her clinical notes. Mito and Izuna exchanged a look.

"Sakura-chan, come and have lunch with us!" The young Uchihe beamed at her, but his smile fell when she did not look up.

Still working on the pile of documents, Sakura shook her head.  
"I am busy, sorry." Her voice sounded emotionless and tired.

Izuna was about to insist, but Mito grabbed his arm. She walked forward and sat on the corner of the desk, taking in the sight before her. Sakura was pale, looked exhausted and if she was not imagining things, Mito was certain that the pinkette had lost some weight since her cheekbones were sticking out slightly compared to the last time she saw her.

"Sakura, you need to get out of here. We barely see you nowadays."

Sitting back in her chair, Sakura rubbed her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose. With a sigh, she looked up.

"Listen, I appreciate the fact that you guys came here today, but I am busy. Maybe another time." That being said, she took back her pen and went back to work.

Mito sighed and grabbed Izuna's arm. Before getting out of the office, she glanced back at Sakura. The kunoichi was now writing furiously in one of the file, and the Uzumaki could see the glint of tears at the corner of her green eyes. Slowly, she closed the door behind her. She would have to talk with Hashirama.

Decided, she made her way out of the hospital and to the office where her betrothed and Madara were working on village matters. Izuna was almost running behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to talk to Hashirama about this. This is not healthy. I don't even know when the last time she ate was." She stopped abruptly and Izuna almost slammed in her back. "Izuna, she is self-destructing right now. We need to help her."

They reached the office in a few minute and she entered the room without knocking. In front of her were Hashirama, Madara and Tobirama, all looking down at a scroll intensely. Forgetting what she was about to say, she stared at them.

"What is it?" Her voice sounded more nervous than she intended it to be, but seeing the serious face of the Senju leader, she could only imagine that it was a serious matter.

"A week ago, we sent an invitation to the Hyuga clan to join our village. They just now answered and are asking us to come personally so we can negotiate with them. Madara, Tobi and I will leave tonight. It is really important and they would be a great asset here."

Mito was at a loss of words. They would leave? Was it really prudent? Knowing their strength, she relaxed slightly. They would be fine. Losing his serious expression, Hashirama smiled softly at her.

"What did you come here for, dear?"

"Uhm… I am worried about Sakura-chan." Tobirama stood straighter when he heard her name. "She spends her days in the hospital. I don't even know if she went home in the last 48 hours or if she had a decent meal. We need to help her Hashirama, she is hurting."

Hashirama rubbed his chin and sighed.

"We will be back in three days, at that moment, I'll have a talk with her, but right now, I need to prepare for the trip." He got up and walk toward Mito, holding her chin in his hand he gave her a small kiss. "She will be fine, she is strong."

Mito smiled and nodded. She would be fine. She had to be.

* * *

Sakura got out of the hospital when it was already dark outside. Yes she'd been avoiding all of them. She was feeling guilty for the way she left the compound two days ago and really did not feel like talking about what was bothering her. Making her way to her house, she stopped dead in her track when she saw Tobirama on her front porch, touching the balcony ramp lightly. He was all geared up with his armor and carrying a backpack, like he was ready for a trip.

When he saw her, she saw his eyes widening, but soon, his emotionless mask was back. Pushing past him she got up the stairs.

"What do you want?" Her voice was cold. She turned around to face him and was surprised to see that he was handing her something. She took the package and looked at him with a tired and curious expression. He hesitated for a second, but then locked eyes with her.

"We will be back in three days, please don't do anything stupid while we are gone."

As soon as he said his last word, he transported away, leaving a bemused Sakura behind. Looking down, she realized that what he had given her was food. Food. She did not even remember the last time she ate. As to prove this point, her stomach made itself known, grumbling loudly.

Entering in her house, she leaned on the closed door. Why were they leaving? And why did he come over here to bring her food? Looking down at the packaging in her hand she made her way to her table and opened it. There was some fish and some rice… and some dango. Seeing the sweet treat, she could not repress the small tired smile that found her lips. That man was something. She really needed to talk to him…

* * *

Tobirama arrived to the village gate. His brother and Madara were already standing there, ready to leave. Hashirama looked at him, perplex.

"Where were you? We've been waiting for you the past ten minutes."

Tobirama did not answer to the question and started the journey, taking the front of the line. Not because he wanted to lead, but because this infuriating blush found his cheeks. He hopped on a tree branch and pushed some chakra in his feet to help his balance. Hearing a branch crack behind him he turned his head and saw Madara's smirk. The Uchiha threw away the small branch he used to catch the white haired shinobi's attention. The blush had faded, but considering the activated sharingan looking at him, he knew his secret was out in the open. Suspicion that was confirmed when he heard the voice of the Uchiha.

"I know where he was." Madara's voice was low, but loud enough for Hashirama to pick it up. The Senju leader looked at his old friend and raised an eyebrow. Madara looked at Hashirama with an amused expression.

"He was at Sakura's."

"How did you know that?" Hashirama's look went from Tobi to Madara a couple of times.

"I have never seen Tobirama Senju blush, but I can assume, considering my observations of the past weeks, that the only person able to have him act in such a way would be Sakura."

Tobirama did not answer, because he knew his voice would betray him if he did. Instead, he started to run faster, cursing at the Uchiha silently. His mood worsen when he heard his brother bark out a laugh.

"What were you doing at her place? You two are avoiding each other since we started to build the village."

Madara snorted at that statement. They were avoiding each other because they liked each other, of course. Why was he the only one seeing this?

Tobirama stopped running abruptly and turned towards his brother, clenching his fists.

"Whatever is going on with her and I is none of your concerns. " The seriousness in his eyes told Hashirama that it was time to stop messing around. "Now, we are on a serious mission, brother, so quit teasing me and let's focus on the task. We don't know what their intentions are, so we need to be vigilant."

Hashirama's smile fell when he realized that his brother was indeed right. Nodding his head he looked back at Madara who shrugged his shoulders. Seeing the silent agreement, Tobirama turned forward and continued his way. Behind him though, Madara and Hashirama were smirking at each other. Tobirama was so serious.

* * *

A day passed since the three men left the village. Sakura was in her office, doing paperwork (oh surprise!). She just got out of a surgery and was feeling drained, but still had things to take care of. She never knew how much work running a newly built hospital was, but she had to say, it was fulfilling. The night before, she had a hard time to fall asleep, still thinking about how Tobirama got out of his way to bring her food right before his mission. Mito probably tipped him off and forced him to do it. Yeah, that sounded about right.

Trying to focus on what she was writing, Sakura rubbed her burning eyes. Looking outside she gasped. It was already pitch black. What time was it? Did she stay that long? Shaking her head, she got out of her chair and stretched, hearing a couple of loud pops, meaning she'd been at it for too long. Taking off her white medic coat, she put it on the back of the chair and grabbed a couple of files she wanted to look at before bed and left. The walk to her house was uneventful and once she entered her home she relaxed. She walked to the bathroom and prepared herself a warm bath.

Taking one of the file with her, she got in the tub and had a pleasure sigh when the warm water took away the tensions of her tired body. Throwing the file she had out of the bathroom she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. _I can do that later._

She remembered why she was working that much the past few days when images of her friends and happy moments of her life flooded her head. She was doing great until she realized her birthday was coming. Why? Because SHE would have other birthdays. Her friends wouldn't. Sighing, she sat straight and rubbed her tired eyes. Not finding any comfort in her bath anymore, she got out and dried herself. Wrapping a towel around her body, she walked in her bedroom and grabbed a pair of black shorts and a red tank top that Ari made for her and put them on quickly.

Taking the pile of files and results she brought from the hospital, she sat on her bed, legs crossed and started to go through them. _No thinking for me tonight, I need to think about anything else._ Sleep crept up on her and thirty minutes later, Sakura was out cold, face between sheets of papers.

* * *

The men were almost done with their first day of travel when Tobirama started to have a nagging feeling in his guts. He looked behind him, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Madara was in the middle and Hashirama was at the end of their group. They continued for a few minutes until that feeling got the best of him. Dropping to the ground, Tobirama placed his fingers on the grass and sensed around them. Nothing in front of them, nothing on the right… He froze and looked up at the two men watching him. With hand signs, he was able to tell them without his voice that there were about fifty shinobis surrounding them. A second after he was done, hell broke loose and they were deflecting weapons thrown at them. It was an ambush. The first ninja appeared in front of him and the fight started.

"Don't let their weapons hit you. Poison!" Madara roared over the sounds of the battle.

Tobirama slashed his kunai in one of the man's throat and kicked another man in the guts. He could see Madara fighting for his life and his brother not too far from them. The shinobis were dangerous and experienced. The thing that struck Tobirama, was the lack of pearl colored eyes that was so particular to the Hyuga clan. So it was an ambush, but who would want them dead?

Getting closer to Madara, they fought together to get rid of the attackers that were left. Tobirama had to be real, he was getting tired, those men were putting up quite a fight. When the last one was down, it left Madara and Tobirama panting hard. Putting his hand through his hair, he realized that he was drenched in his enemy's blood, his white hair probably red by now. Looking around the battlefield, Tobirama's heart clenched. Where was his brother? Madara was looking for the same thing since he met his eyes with a panicked look of his own. Sensing around, Tobirama picked up on his brother's chakra and started running as fast as he could.

Getting where he sensed him, he looked down and could not find him among the dead bodies. Pushing some corpses on the side, he found his brother laying on the ground with open gashes and arms bent in weird angles. When did this happened? Who was able to get this close to him to injure him this much?

Slowly and with Madara's help, they pulled him out of the pile of dead bodies and he sucked in a breath when he heard his brother's pained moans. Pushing away the anxiety slowly creeping on him, he stared at the Uchiha.

"Madara, we need to bring him home. Now."

Madara was frozen into place. Frustrated from his lack of reaction, Tobirama opened his backpack, ripped the clothes he brought and rapidly bandaged the bleeding wounds as tightly as he could without looking at them too much. Sakura could fix him. He just needed to bring him to her, and fast. Lifting his brother carefully on his back, Tobirama grabbed one of the poisoned kunai on the ground. He then touched Madara's shoulder. His head snapped in his direction and he looked surprised to see the young Senju ready to leave.

"He needs us. Get it together. We need to make it back as fast as we can." His hard voice got to him. Nodding, Madara followed the white haired Senju, taking in the sight of his best friend's broken body. His eyes hardened. Whoever did this would pay.

Tobirama reached in his pouch and popped two chakra pills in his mouth. He was not man to use them, but now was an emergency. Feeling the chakra burst into him, he ran faster than he ever did. If someone was in the forest, the only thing they would have seen would be a white flash and a black one.

A few hours from the village, Tobirama's legs started to get painful, but he continued running with the same speed. The only thing that kept him going beside his brother's blood dripping on him an seeping through the cracks of his armor was one thought. Sakura will save him. He could picture her focused green eyes, the small frown on her face... She would be able to heal Hashirama. The only thing he had to do was to bring him on time.

A few hours from the village, Madara could see the young Senju's body giving out slowly under the added weight. Getting to his level, he looked down at Tobirama. His face was twisted by many emotions. Guilt, pain, exhaustion, hope... Grabbing the white haired Senju's shoulder, Madara made him stop.

"Pass him to me. I can carry him the rest of the way. As soon as we get to the village, I go to the hospital and you go get her."

Nodding numbly, Tobirama carefully installed his brother on Madara's back and they continued their run with renewed energy. Once the gates came into view, they both relaxed slightly and looked at each other. With a nod, Tobirama did the hand signs for his transportation jutsu, because he might have marked the front porch of Sakura's house with his seal… And Madara went straight to the hospital.

* * *

Sakura was in a peaceful slumber when someone started to knock loudly on her door. Startled she opened her eyes, trying to remember where she was. With the kink on her neck, she could guess that she fell asleep while working on some paper. The knocks got louder and her head snapped up. It could only mean one thing. This was an emergency. Looking outside, she could see that it was really early in the morning, since it was still dark. Running to her front door, she opened it and froze when she saw who was on the other side. Not able to speak, she stared.

In front of her stood a distraught Tobirama, covered in dry blood from head to toes. His white hair was a weird shade of crimson and his eyes. His eyes held fear. An emotion she never thought she'd see on him. He was breathing heavily and shaking, like he overexerted his body to the maximum. Worried she waited for him to talk.

"I know I am probably the last person you want to see tonight, but Hashirama needs you." His voice broke with emotion when he said his brother's name and that's all it took for Sakura to step out of her house. If Tobirama could show that many emotions, she assumed it meant that the situation was bad. Really bad.

He looked at her and took in her mussed hair and the way she was dressed. SHe would probably change... Surprisingly, she did not care. She took a step forward and locked her door.

"Let's go." Her eyes were determined and that's all he needed to focus on his task. Nodding his head, he grabbed her arm and transported them to the hospital, where an equally distressed Madara was waiting for them.

"Where is he?" Madara pointed towards one of the operation room and she nodded. "Madara, go and bring Mito back here." Putting her hair up, she was about to walk into the OR. Tobirama grabbed her shoulder and she faced him.

"I got this, you might need it. I think he was poisoned." Reaching in his pouch her dropped the poisoned kunai in her hand and looked at her, full of hope. Her heart clenched. He was not the proud Tobirama Senju, founder of Konoha right now. No. He was the human who feared to lose his brother. His eyes were begging her to save him, and to answer his plea, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Giving him a small smile and a nod, she ran in the OR, the two men watching her back and hoping they made it on time.


	14. Chapter 14

Note: Here it is! Hope you enjoy:) Also been itching to write one shots but can't figure out which pairing I want to try next... Let me know if you have any preferences! As always, thank you for the reviews! As requested, I am trying really hard to take your advice and develop the the relationships between the characters in the next chapters so hopefully, it'll come out nice!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 14

The view waiting for her when she opened the door was horrible. If she had not been told, she would have never thought that the man before her was Hashirama. His face was swollen and bruised, the flesh on both his arms was shredded in the most gruesome way, he had deep lacerations to his torso… She could clearly see two arm fractures and a leg fracture on top of everything. Raising the kunai in front of her, she exhaled sharply. And he was poisoned. Calming her mind, she washed her hands and got ready for the procedure.

Breathing in deeply, trying to forget that it was now her friend laying in front of her, she started to work on the worst wound of his arms. She had to stabilize him before to try to do anything with the poison. Her green chakra hummed as she focused her attention on the veins and muscles knitting back together.

He was loosing so much blood… Pushing more chakra into his body for a deeper diagnostic, that's when she realized how bad his situation was. The poison was literally eating away the healthy cells of his liver and kidneys, slowly making its way to his heart. How did he survive this long? Shouting orders to the nurses, she soon got some blood for a transfusion. She would not be able to remove the poison if he was bleeding out on her. Or do anything for that matter.

Continuing her task, she wiped sweat from her forehead with her elbow. She would not let him die. She could not. He would survive and she would make sure of it. Calling in her best apprentice, a young girl named Ama, she asked her to help with the open fracture of his leg. She nodded and started without hesitation.

* * *

About six hours into the procedure, the worst of the open wounds were almost healed. Even with the transfusion, she could feel that his blood levels were still too low so she delicately pushed some chakra in his bone marrow and excited it to produce more blood cells. Focusing all her attention to the task, she sent some chakra around his bones to assess the severity of the fractures. The leg fracture was setting nicely thanks to Ama and her extraordinary chakra control. Her eyes widened and she stopped what she was doing for a few seconds. She soon realized why he survived this long.

"Damn it!" Her voice startled the staff around her. All looked at her expectantly, but she focused back on the task. She did not have time to explain. She had to fix this and now.

His body was trying to heal itself unconsciously and it had set the bones or his arms already, but in a wrong position. Closing her eyes for a second, she tried to calm down. She had to do it. She had to break back the bones that his body mended wrongly. Giving him a wary glance, she bit her lower lip and prepared for the next part of the procedure. In a quick motion, Sakura broke the bone. Hashirama's body jerked up and suddenly, his heart stopped beating.

* * *

Tobirama was still in the hall outside of the operation room when Madara came back with Mito. Not worried about how bloody he was, Mito ran straight to Tobirama and hugged him tightly. He let out a breath he did not know he was holding. Pushing her away slowly, he rubbed his tired eyes.

"Sakura is in there taking care of him right now." Mito nodded and sat on a bench. Looking from Madara to Tobirama, she exhaled loudly.

"How did this happen?" her voice was low and she clasped her hands in front of her in an attempt to stop them from shaking.

Both men exchanged a glance and Madara summarized how everything happened and how they found Hashirama under the bodies of their dead enemies. During the story, Tobirama slumped down next to Mito and bending forward, he clutch his head in his hands.

"How did they get a hit on him? How did he end up there?" Mito was really surprised and her voice was expressing her disbelief. It was not like Hashirama to be so careless in a fight…

Tobirama was replaying the whole battle in his head. He could not see where things went wrong. Sure he lost sight of his brother during the battle but was not worried since he knew that Hashirama was more than capable to defend himself… His grip on his hair tightened. It was his fault. _I should have made sure he was fine. I should have…_ The more he thought about it, the more frustrating it was getting. Madara did not answer Mito's question, but voiced some of the facts.

"They were not from the Hyuga clan, but knew that we would be there. They were experienced, but sloppy. What was the purpose of the ambush?" With a raging groan, Tobirama got on his feet and threw his happuri across the room. Mito eyed him warily. It was not like him to burst out like this. But again, there was so much someone could take before cracking under pressure. The loud sound scared some of the hospital staff, but Madara, unfazed by his display of frustration, took a step and put his hand on Tobirama's shoulder. Squeezing it lightly, he locked eyes with the young Senju.

"Right now, there is nothing we can do. We only have to trust Sakura's ability to save him. Your brother probably saw what we didn't. We just have to wait for his side of the story." Still looking into Tobirama's eyes, he added "We did our best."

Tobirama slumped back on the bench and leaned his head back on the wall. Madara was right. It was not up to them anymore. He hated when the situation was out of his control. Sakura would make sure nothing would happen to his brother. Right? His mind went back to her sleepy face when she opened the door. On how at the mention of his brother's name her whole demeanor changed and how she went from a relax state to medical kunoichi in the blink of an eye. She would save him. He had faith in her. And he was happy she stayed all those weeks ago. Tobirama let out a sigh. If someone could bring him back, it was her.

Madara sat on the bench and they all waited. A few hours passed and nothing happened. No one came out of the OR. Some people brought in supplies, but otherwise, the corridor was quite silent and empty.

It must have been about six or seven hours after the surgery started when he heard some commotion in the OR and people started to run in and out of it. Exchanging glances with Madara and Mito, he frowned. A bad feeling stirred in him and he got on his feet, making his way to the OR door.

* * *

Hashirama's heart stopped under the stress of her breaking his arms again, putting his body in a lot of pain. The fact that the poison was still in his system definitely did not help. Yelling at the nurses, she asked for medication to help his heart and herbs for the extraction since she would probably have to do it and fast. Trying chest compression to restart Hahsirama's heart, she grew anxious when it did not work.

"Damn you stupid Senju, don't you dare die on me!"

Suddenly, she had the most realistic flashback of the war. Laying in front of her in the hospital bed was not Hashirama anymore, but Naruto. Tears started flowing from her eyes and without thinking she jumped on the operation table. She could not let him die. Looking around, her eyes caught the color blue and she realized that Tobirama had been standing in the room. He probably entered during all the commotion.

Tears still flowing out of her eyes, she yelled at one of the nurse.

"Get him out of here." When nobody moved, she yelled. "NOW!"

Green watery eyes met crimson and her face hardened. This change made him understand that she was not giving up on Hashirama. The nurse pushed him out roughly and closed the door in his face.

When she knew that he was not there anymore, Sakura looked around to the staff.

"Get away from his body, I will try to resuscitate him."

Without any other words, everyone took a step back. Looking down at him, she could only see Naruto.

"You won't die this time. I won't let it happen, I swear." Her voice broke.

Focusing on her chakra, she sent a jolt of it directly to his heart. His body jerked but nothing happened. She tried a second time. Nothing. Third time, nothing. Someone touched her shoulder and her head snapped to focus on the intruder, murdering intent flowing out of her in waves.

"Don't touch me. I can do it!"

"But Sakura-sama, you-"

"I will save him."

People around her exchanged a worried glance. They knew how taxing this technique could be and how low she was getting on chakra. But no one talked, knowing better than arguing with her in this situation. Charging the double amount of chakra in her hands, she prayed the gods for it to work, otherwise she would have failed. Again. Hands shaking, and helpless feeling growing in her, she looked at his face. It kept flickering from blond hair blue eyes to brown hair brown eyes… Shaking her head, she placed her hand on his chest and released all of the chakra she gathered to Hashirama's heart…. And it worked. Seeing this, the staff approached his body and started to work on the other wounds that needed tending.

Pushing them away, she started the poison extraction. Tears flowing freely on her face, her shoulders shook. _I did it_. The good thing was that since Hashirama lost a lot of blood, most of the poison had been expelled naturally. The only thing she had to do was to remove it from his organs. Which she did with shaking hands.

Frowning, she felt something behind Hashirama's neck. Reaching to it, she realized that it was a small needle. No way he could have felt it since it was really thin. So he had been poisoned before the fight… That explained it. Removing the small needle, she put it away in a small container to examine it later. Then, she broke his other arm and mended it properly, always monitoring his heart, fearing that it would stop at any moment. Ama walked towards her and touched her shoulder.

"Sakura-sama, you are near chakra depletion. We can do the rest now that he is in stable condition."

Tears still flowing from her eyes, Sakura shook her head and continued her healing, mind in a haze. Stuck between war memories and saving the founder of her village. Her vision of Naruto had been so realistic and brought so many bad memories that she could not afford anyone else to take care of the person in front of her. Exhaustion was getting to her, but she had a job to finish._ I won't let you die. You will be fine, Naruto._

* * *

Tobirama sat down after being chased from the OR. Mito was chewing her thumb nail and Madara's eyes were lost in thoughts. They all heard what was happening in there.

He just could no chase the image of her pressing on his brother's sternum in hope to restart his heart, her jumping on the operation table and crying over Hashirama's body. Her green eyes focused on him, begging him to leave the room. The way she hardened and continued her work. Someone would have told them by now if his brother did not make it. Right? So many questions, so little answers.

Two other hours passed when a young nurse ran out of the OR towards them with a worried frown on her face. Seeing her distress, the three of them got on their feet rapidly, ready for some bad news. Seeing how she startled them, Ama's expression softened.

"He is in stable condition. He will live." Seeing all three of them let out a relieve sigh, she continued. "I need your help. Sakura-sama is exhausted and does not want to leave his side. She wants to heal him on her own, but the only things left to heal are bruised and minor cuts, really…"

Madara and Tobirama exchanges a glance with Mito. The Uzumaki looked up to them.

"Tobirama, can you please?"

Nodding, the white haired Senju followed Ama back to the room. He did not expect this when he got in.

In front of him, next to his brother was Sakura. Exhausted, trembling, her green chakra was wavering dangerously. Looking up to her face, his heart clenched. Tears were still flowing out of her swollen green eyes, pained expression was on her face, she was really pale. His crimson eyes traveled from her to his brother. He was laying peacefully in the bed, pale, but nothing that had him worried.

Tobirama walked to her slowly, not to scare her. He heard her mumble something that sounded like "You can't die. I will save you.". Gently, he reached out to her and touched her forearm. Her eyes snapped up and locked with his. She looked like an empty shell. The light that normally graced her emeralds wasn't anywhere to be seen. He realized that he did not like this Sakura. He liked the one he saw the past weeks. The one smiling brightly and always seeing the best in every situation. When he saw that he had her attention, he squeezed her shoulder lightly.

"Sakura, he is ok now." Her eyebrows raised in surprise, like she just realized where she was and soon after, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. Tobirama just had the time to catch her before she hit the ground. Looking down to her now peaceful face, he gently pushed a damp strand of hair away from her face, his finger lingering on her cheek a second longer than required. The moment was broken when Ama came back into the room to continue the healing.

Carefully, her slid one harm under her knees and the other behind her back and carried her out, giving one more look back to his brother. He was out of danger because of her hard work. Looking down at her limp body in his arm, he closed his eyes. _What would have happen if I had turned you away when you had nowhere to go?_

Mito walked up to him as soon as he got out of the room, Madara on her heels. The Uzumaki reached out to Sakura and cupped her cheek in her hand. _I can't thank you enough for what you did. I hope you can let me help you with your burden, whatever it may be._

Looking down at Sakura, Tobirama sighed.

"I'll get her to her home and I'll be back soon." He started to walk past them, but Mito's hand on his arm made him stop.

"Bring her to the compound, Tobirama. I am sure you can feel it, she is in a state of critical chakra depletion. It would be better not to leave her alone until she recovers."

Tobirama was looking down at Sakura's peaceful face, so he did not see the small victory smile on Mito's lips. He nodded and left the hospital.

Madara looked at him walk out and his eyes met Mito's.

"Really? I am glad to know I am not the only one to see it." Mito chuckled lightly, a tired smile on her lips and grabbed Madara's arm, pulling him back to the bench.

"A slight push in the right direction never hurts."

* * *

If he wasn't exhausted as he was, he would have transported them to the compound, but right now, walking would have to do. He could feel the aftereffects of the chakra pills he took and knew he needed some well deserved rest. It was past noon when he left the hospital.

The breeze outside was cold, so he tightened his grip on her small body to bring her closer. Looking down at her, he regretted the way he treated her the past few weeks. Seeing her devotion and dedication to his clan, to this village and her selflessness made this warm feeling in him intensify. The ghost of a smile on his lips he continued walking.

Raising his head, he could see the weird look people gave him. Then he realized. He was still in his armor, covered in blood, transporting a passed out Sakura who was also covered in blood. Groaning inwardly, he accelerated his pace. _I should have used the transportation seal_.

They got to the compound without any trouble, under the curious glances of the whole clan. Giving them a cold glare, they all went back to their activities, not even thinking about asking questions. Without waking her up, he made it to his room without any problem. Walking towards his bed, he was about to put her in it but then realized how bloody she was. He shuddered. His brother's blood was literally covering the both of them. Delicately, he laid her on the floor and left the room for a few minutes.

He came back with some cloths and warm water to wipe the blood off her. Walking to the corner of his bedroom, he took off his armor and sighed when he stretched his body. He did not realize how heavy his armor was for his tired body until now. He hung it up on the hooks on the wall and then went to his drawers where he grabbed one of his long sleeve shirt and some shinobi pants.

Crouching back next to Sakura, Tobirama propped her up and dipping the cloth in the water, he started to clean her legs. In the shorts she was wearing he had to be careful not to look at the soft skin of her thighs, the graceful curve of her calves… Blushing furiously, he tore his eyes from them. His body had been reacting more to her recently and he did not know what to do. _I am really tired, that's probably why._

Shaking his head, he returned to his task and took off her shorts that were full of blood to rapidly put back the black shinobi pants on her. That being done, he wiped the blood on her arms, being careful to remove all of it. He sat back behind her so her body was against his chest and her head rolled back on his shoulder. His breath hitched. She was so vulnerable, yet so beautiful. Raising a hand, he cupped her face and let his thumb run across her cheek. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled closer, her face now in the crook of his neck, nose brushing on his clavicle. Looking down, he could see her soft lips slightly parted. So inviting...

He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the sensation of her small body close to him. And then, he wondered. What would it be like if…. No. Not the time to think about that. Grabbing the hem of her tank top, he took it off, leaving her in her bindings. Grabbing the shirt behind him, he put it over her head and directed her arms in the sleeves. The shirt being too large slid on her shoulder giving him a plunging view of her slender neck, the softness of her shoulder and with each breath she was taking, he could see the swell of her breast…

A frustrated groan escaped him when his body reacted against his will. Never in his entire life did his body betrayed him. Right now, in this moment, she was pure temptation. Resisting the urge to touch her skin, he took her in his arms and slowly dropped her on his bed, tucking her in carefully. Another groan escaped him when he saw her pink hair sprawled on his pillow. She looked like she belonged there, in his bed. Closing his eyes tightly, he clenched his fists. _I need a cold dip in the river. Now._

He left the compound with some clean clothes and washed himself in the river, but no matter how cold the water was, he thought about her. Her soft yet strong body, her lips, her in his bed… The contradiction that she was. Getting back to the task at hand, he dove underwater, rubbing his hair to get rid of the dirt and the blood caked in it. After trying to calm himself for almost an hour, he walked back to the compound and to his room.

He slid the door open and his heart skipped a beat when he saw her, tangled in his bed sheets, shoulder uncovered. Taking his eyes from her, he grabbed a chair and brought it next to the bed. Sitting next to her, kept watch, making sure she was alright. He did not realize when sleep crept up on him.

* * *

Sakura came back to the land of the living a few hours after the sun went down. Her consciousness slowly came back and she could feel the weight of chakra exhaustion on her body. Even if she did not feel great, she was feeling warm and the bed was really comfortable. Her hand was touching something damp but really soft... Running her hand through it a few times, she sighed. _Wait. Where am I? _Memories of the past hours flooded back her head and she jerked awake, opening her eyes. Panicked, she took in her surroundings. It was probably the middle of the night, since it was really dark outside. The room she was in was simple, spartan style, an armor was hanging in the corner of it. It was quite comfortable, to be honest. Looking down, she saw midnight blue sheets, but there was something else... The smell. It smelled like the forest after the rain like... She had to repress a yelp when she noticed that the soft thing her hand was touching was white messy hair belonging to no other than Tobirama Senju... What was he doing there?

Then everything clicked. She was in his bedroom. In _his _bed. Running a hand in _his _hair. A deep blush colored her cheeks and she took in the sight in front of her. He was half sitting in the chair, his upper body on the bed, his head on her hip and his hand on her thigh. Sleep must have taken him by surprise when he was watching her. She remembered the way he looked when he came to her house to ask for her help. Covered in blood, shaking from exhaustion... Of course he would end up asleep.

He was facing her and she had to admit one thing. He was quite handsome when he was asleep. His face was losing its edge, his features were soft and he looked way younger. Her gaze softened and she smiled. She missed him. The man that she got to know before the war. To be honest, to see him asleep on her like this made her feel good. Because she could see that he cared.

A pounding pain in her skull made Sakura grab her head between her hands and hiss. Tobirama jumped up on his feet with a lightning speed, standing in a defensive stance with a kunai in his hand. With sleepy eyes and disheveled hair, he scanned the room for a threat. She had to admit that the sight of him like this was really cute. Looking down at her, his eyes widened a fraction and his body relaxed.

"You're awake." It sounded more like a statement than a question. He reached back and scratched his neck and Sakura's eyes focused on the contraction of his exposed bicep. Blushing, she cleared her throat.

"Thank you for watching over me. I should go-" Trying to get out of bed and walk, she took a step forward and lost her balance slightly, feeling dizzy. In half a second, he was behind her, warm hands on her waist to support her. Lifting her head up, she could see his concerned expression.

"You almost used all of your chakra to save him. You need more rest... At least, until you can walk on your own." The way his voice was vibrating in his chest made her feel all kind of weird and warm.

Huffing, she attempted to take another step, but almost fell. She grabbed his forearm to get some sort of support, while he twisted her body so she could face him and her other hand ended up on his chest. One of his arm was stabilizing her, holding her shoulder while the other was on the small of her back, almost pressing her against him. His touch sent jolts of electricity through her body while his close proximity was making her heart beat so fast that it was a miracle he could not hear it. Blushing furiously, she tried to push him away.

"I am ok, I should leav-" She did not have any time to finish her sentence since he bent forward and picked her up, bridal style and was making his way back to his bed. She wiggled against him, tying to escape and started to hit his chest. If she had more chakra, she would have made him release her.

"Let me go!" Still struggling, she stopped when he looked down and his serious eyes met hers.

"For a medic, sometimes, I have the impression that you can be quite stupid." Hearing those words made her stop struggling. _What did he say to me?_ Pouting, she crossed her arms and avoided his pointed look. His soft sigh brushed her cheek and she faced him. His eyes were serious but pleading when he spoke.

"Please don't make this difficult. After everything you did for us, it's the least of things for me to look out for you."

He knew he won when she relaxed in his arms and when she gave him a sincere smile and a surprised look. Like she was a fragile thing, he put her back in bed, not meeting any resistance on her part. Sakura's green eyes were focused on him and it made him feel nervous. Balancing his weight from one leg to the other, he scratched the back of his head.

"I also need to apologize." Raising an eyebrow, Sakura could not grasp where he was going with that. He continued. "The way I acted with you the past few weeks was unacceptable and I am sorry if I caused you any pain."

He opened his mouth like he wanted to add something but breathed out and shook his head, he turned around to walk out of the room but when she talked he stopped.

"What is it?" Her voice sounded so small, far from the confident woman he knew she was. Their eyes locked and he could only see sincere curiosity, and some confusion but nothing else. Fidgeting for a moment, he did not turn to face her but kept his gaze on her.

"Seeing you getting hurt on the battlefield was quite an unpleasant sight for me. The thought of losing you never crossed my mind, but when it did, it was one of the worst thing I have ever felt. I am grateful that you stopped this war, but the way you did it was shocking, to say the least."

Giving her one last look, he walked out of the bedroom, leaving Sakura gaping at him.

* * *

She could hear his footstep getting farther away and let out a breath she did not know she was holding. So all this time, the Nidaime was cold and distant with her because he got _scared?_ Maybe he cared more than she thought. Replaying their brief interaction, she blushed. No man held her the way he did. This feeling she had, the electricity coursing through her body, the warmth of his touch sending her heart into overdrive, was it because she started to have feeling for the man or was it only desire? Thinking about Sasuke, she could not remember one time where his touch brought the same sensations to her. This was new, and she did not know how to feel about it.

Groaning, she slumped back in bed, covering her eyes with her arm. Right now, she did not need to add another thing on her list of things to worry about. Of course, she was happy that the man apologized to her, but on the other hand, she had those feelings that she needed to sort through. If she ever had a chance to go back to her Konoha, she could not afford to let anyone in. To let anyone love her. She would only leave them in the end and she wanted to avoid this. But what if she could never go back? She would have to live here and then it would be another story.

Konoha. She missed it dearly. This version of it was nice and to be a part of the history was great, but she missed her friends. Of course, when she landed here, her goal was to avoid to get attached to anyone, but the four men just grew on her. They were a nice mix of Kakashi, Naruto, Tsunade and even to some extent Sasuke. Their company felt so natural that she ended up being in too deep, despite everything.

Her mood dimmed considerably the more she thought about it. And on top of everything, her birthday was approaching to an alarming rate and she did not know how she should have been feeling. If she celebrated it, Sakura had the feeling that she would betray her friends for some reason. But if she did not, then she just ignored their sacrifice and the fact that she was still alive because of it.

She fell asleep a few minutes later, succumbing to the exhaustion that was still weighing on her.

* * *

Tobirama walked out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen, knowing the kunoichi was probably starving like he was. He also needed some fresh air. Once in the kitchen, he breathed out. Facing a wall, he dropped his head on it with a loud thump. _Why did you tell her all of that? _He had no clue why he had done it, just... Her face at that moment, insecure and her small voice made him feel like he had to be honest. He remembered too well when she had opened up about the man who told her she was useless and he wanted to avoid her thinking that it was how he was seeing her. She spent hours saving his brother for god's sake. He was far from seeing her that way.

Closing his eyes, he could still feel the softness of her hand in his hair, because yes, he had been awake for a few minutes and she did not notice, the warmth of her body against his when he helped her... Feeling a blush creeping on his cheeks, he straighten up and cleared his throat, trying to relax. Once he regained control over his body, he opened his eyes.

Remembering the reason why he came in the kitchen in the first place, he looked around and was happy to see that Ari had kept two plates for them after dinner. He made a mental note to thank her for that later. Grabbing both plates he made his way back to his bedroom. When he slid the door open, he could see that she fell back asleep. Smiling, he dropped her plate on the night stand. She could eat later. Opening the opposite door, he sat on the small patio giving him a view of the courtyard and ate his food, looking up at the moon. She saved his brother. He knew he could never repay her for that. The only thing he could do was to make sure she had everything she needed here. Finishing his food, he walked back inside and grabbed his armor. Sitting back with some tools, he cleaned it up and repaired what needed his attention, sending more than one glance to the pink haired kunoichi laying in his bed. His heart felt lighter than it ever did, for some reason.


	15. Chapter 15

Note: Mostly fluff-ish, little bit of story here and there! Been having some health issues so I tried to balance writing and taking care of myself. Nothing life-threatening, I swear! I wrote the next chapter already, just finishing it up and have about two other chapters that needs a bit of work, but the outline is there! They'll be coming soon. Hope you appreciate it and as always, thank you for your reviews. They keep me going and give me a lot of motivation!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 15

The next time she opened her eyes, Sakura found out she did not dream at all. She was really laying down in the Nidaime's bed, yet again. He was not in the room at the moment and she was thankful for that. She had quite a few things to think about! _What time is it?_ With the light filtering in, she assumed it was probably mid-afternoon. Her head was feeling better and her body had recovered nicely, not completely, but close enough. Leaning forward, she grabbed her head in her hands and breathed out.

She still could not believe that Tobirama apologized to her. Of course, she should have apologized for her sour mood every time he tried to talk to her, but he took the words out of her mouth when he mentioned how he felt when she had been injured. That was the last thing she was expecting him to say, and to be honest, she did not know what to do with the warm feeling it left in her chest… It was something she never felt before, which is the reason why it was so confusing to her.

The rumbling of her stomach took her out of her head. Looking around, she smiled when her eyes fell on the plate of food sitting on the nightstand. He even thought about that. How nice of him! It looked delicious. There were steamed vegetables, some fish and a miso soup. Sakura grabbed the plate and installed it on her lap. Not caring about the fact that the food was cold, she ate the whole thing, humming happily. It tasted so good!

The door slid open and Tobirama enters with two cups in his hands. His back was facing her so she rapidly wiped her face, feeling self-conscious. Keeping his balance, he closed the door with his foot and faced her. He probably slept somewhere else after she woke up since his hair was a mess and he looked quite tired himself. But the question was. _WHY_ did he look so amazing right when he woke up?! He was moving with grace and she could see the muscle of his arms working under his pale skin. _Am I drooling?_

Making his way to her, he could see the way she stared at him and for some reason it made him feel aware that he probably looked stupid. He did not take the time to make sure he was presentable when he woke up... Holding both cups in one hand, he ran his hand through his hair, which for some reason made her look at him with more intensity… _I should have at least checked in a mirror before to get here, too late for that. _Pushing the thought aside, he approached her.

Getting closer, he handed her the cup. Their finger brushed slightly, but the warmth of his touch was enough for her cheeks to betray her train of thoughts. If he realized, he did not comment on it. Bright greens eyes looked up his way and she gave him a warm smile that knocked the breath out of his lungs. Her voice sounded small and soft when she opened her mouth.

"Thank you… For this and everything." Clearing her throat, she looked around and ended up focusing her attention in her coffee mug. Taking a sip of his tea, he sat on the chair that was still next to the bed.

"Like I said, it's the least I could do." He chuckled. "As for the coffee, I realized that you are barely functional without it, so I thought you would like one before leaving the compound."

She never discussed her likes and dislikes with the man but he obviously observed her more than she thought the past month if he could tell how bad she needed her coffee. Sipping the amazing liquid slowly she closed her eyes in pure bliss. Just the way she liked it. He was a surprising man, to say the least.

Seeing the way she held on to the cup, he knew he was right about that. A small laugh shook his shoulders and she stared at him with something he could not quite describe in her eyes. Then she took another sip and he could see a small smile stretching the left side of her lips. She was beautiful, even in the morning. Gazing at her a bit longer took a sip of tea. _I could get used to this... Her. Here..._ Before his thoughts brought him farther on the subject, he pushed them aside. He honestly would have rather stay in his bedroom with her all day, but they both had things to do, so he emptied his tea cup and cleared his throat.

"I was going to see Hashirama this morning but waited for you since I thought you might like to go as well." She nodded and her happiness disappeared. Her brow furrowed.

"Yes, I want to check on him and I still have to analyze the poison and create the antidote..." Her attention focused on the coffee cup again like it held all the secrets of the universe, she stopped talking.

"What is it?" Her head snapped up when she heard the softness of his tone. Blushing slightly, she sighed and appeared to be unsure.

"So.. hum. Hashirama was good when I passed out, right?" Tobirama saw the wheels turning in her head and heard the hint of fear in her voice. Did she think his brother was still in danger or that she had not been able to finish the job? Observing her reaction, he saw her chewing her bottom lip and swiftly took away her cup to put it on the nightstand. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand with both of his and tried to have her look him in the eyes.

"Sakura, look at me." She did not, but then Tobirama squeezed her hand. She raised her eyes to meet his. "Hashirama is doing just fine. He only had bruises left when I got in the room. You saved him."

Remembering how strong she looked in the OR when everything seemed helpless, it was his turn to be lost in his thoughts. Without her, there was a lot of things that could have been different, lots of people would have died… It would have been horrible.

Sakura, seeing his inner turmoil looked down at his hands holding hers. She moved hers so her palm could face his and wrapped her fingers around his. Startled by the somewhat intimate contact, his head snapped up and looked at her, unguarded.

"Thank you…" She was so genuine that it almost hurt. Tobirama tried to appear unaffected by her touch, but a slight blush betrayed him.

"Don't thank me when you are the one who did all the work." His eyes lingered on her face and he relaxed, enjoying the feel of her skin."Now, let's get to the hospital." Still holding her hand, he pulled her up on her feet effortlessly as he stood. Not expecting this, a giggle escaped her. He smiled down at her and her breath caught in her throat. Looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity, she took a step back and stretched, suddenly nervous.

Clearing his throat, he went to his drawer and grabbed a shirt. He rapidly pulled it over his head and opened the door. He waited for Sakura to get out of his room and then lead the way out of the compound. Once they reached the entrance, he stopped, realizing that she was stalling behind. About to question her, he caught the eye of a few clansmen giving them weird looks. Or rather, suggestive looks. Turning back to face her, he cursed his foggy brain. She was wearing men's clothes, following him out of his bedroom. With her morning hair. And his hair was not in better shape. Of course people would think they were fooling around in bed together... Meeting his eyes, she blushed and averted her gaze. She was uncomfortable. Glaring at his men for their lack of decency, they all went back to their daily tasks.

Tobirama walked back towards her and grabbing her shoulder, he transported them to her house.

* * *

Once on her front porch, he had to stabilize her when she almost fell. Still quite dizzy, she looked up to him shyly.

"Sorry about that, they are not aware of what happened to my brother and your involvement in all of this. I will make sure to set the record straight." Still uncomfortable, she nodded. Tobirama was leaned against the door frame. "I will wait for you here. You can go and get what you need."

Unlocking her door, she went inside. What a weird morning she had!_ You mean, what a weird few months!_ Rolling her eyes, she made her way to her bedroom, opened her drawers and set out her long black pants and her red sleeveless shirt. She sighed. Now everyone would think they were sleeping together. Somehow, Sakura could not be angry at the men. No one knew why she was there in the first place. They would understand later. She also could not find it in her to be angry at him...

Tobirama was so much different then he had been the past weeks and she did not know how to take that change. He was… Charming. Really charming. This morning, everything felt so simple and yet so right when they were talking and just being silent together… Now she would have to listen to the gossips about her and the Nidaime. Surprisingly, she did not mind. She was quite curious about the man. His hands were warm and the way he lifted her on her feet like she weighed nothing was kind of... Exciting. How would it feel to have his hand touching her and... _No! You are not going there, uh-uh!_. Shaking her head she put on her clothes rapidly. Grabbing the discarded ones, she started to fold them but the smell stopped her. Burying her nose in the shirt, she inhaled deeply. Her heart fluttered and her shoulder relaxed. How could he smell so good? Realizing what she was doing, Sakura brusquely opened her eyes. _What the heck? Why am I having those thoughts?!_

Embarrassed that his smell could trouble her the way it did, she dropped everything on her desk and exited her room, face flushed. Grabbing a fruit in the bowl situated on her table, she hesitated and grabbed another one for him. Breathing in deeply, she opened the front door and got out of her house, locking it behind her.

Looking up at the man, she threw him the fruit and he caught it effortlessly, nodding her way to thank her. Somehow, seeing him so relaxed on her front porch made her feel all kinds of weird. Like there was lava in her veins. Maybe it was only due to her previous thoughts about him.

"Ready?" His voice startled her.

"Yes, we can go. But if you don't mind, I would like to walk. I am still not used to this transportation thing, it makes me feel nauseous." He gave her a small smirk and she cursed inwardly at the gods for what the small tilt of his lips did to her.

"Which is why you should do it more often. Your body would get used to it at some point." She huffed a laugh at that.

"Still, I prefer walking, thank you very much."

Rolling his eyes playfully, he shrugged and started to walk next to her. The way to the hospital was made in a comfortable silence. Their arms were brushing here and there and it got Sakura thinking.

She never realized how tall he was until now. Her head was barely higher than his shoulder. He was basically towering over her small frame. That realization made her feel even safer when she was around him. She would definitely have to be on her tip toes if she wanted to... Realizing what she was thinking about, she could not help the bright smile that found her lips. _No way, like this is going_ _to happen!_

* * *

Tobirama, on the other hand, was extending his sensor abilities to make sure nothing was wrong in the village. He was ashamed to say that the previous day, he had been distracted and did not scan the area as much as he wanted to. He had to make sure she was recovering first. Watching Sakura from the corner of his eye from time to time, he felt this warmth again in his chest. She looked so relaxed and happy walking beside to him. Like she belonged there. The last forty-eight hours made him realize how much she grew on him since her arrival. He honestly could not imagine what life would have been like if she were not there. She was so passionate, someone they could rely on, strong... Unique.

Like she heard his thoughts, a smile graced her lips and his heart stopped beating for a moment. Seeing the light that radiated from the kunoichi made him want to be closer to her. Life had been so dark, but since she appeared out of nowhere, his life was somehow brighter… Shaking his head he tried to stop the flow of distracting thoughts but failed every time he was looking her direction.

* * *

They arrived at the hospital soon enough and once inside, they were greeted by silence. Paying attention to her surrounding, Sakura realized that her staff was eyeing her warily. Like she was dangerous, somehow. Frowning she was about to call them out on this but a flash of her behavior during the surgery came back to her and she stopped herself. She had been quite a lot to handle. The pink haired kunoichi could admit as much. Giving them an apologetic smile, she continued her walk to Hashirama's room that was situated at the end of the corridor.

Tobirama opened the door for her and she had to admit that it was still strange for her to have him acting so considerately with her. Putting on her medic face, she took a step into the room and saw that Hashirama was not alone. Madara and Mito were both next to his bed and the Senju leader was bright awake, laughing and smiling brightly. The only thing showing that he wasn't feeling at his best were the dark circles under his eyes and the color of his skin that was slightly paler than usual. Otherwise, he looked great and it almost made her cry. She did not fail.

"Sakura-chan! Madara and I had a brilliant idea. Listen to this." Hashirama was quite loud considering what he had been through in the previous 24 hours, but she could not help the relieved smile that tugged on her lips. He looked over to Madara, but the Uchiha shook his head and rolled his eyes. Hashirama shrugged and smiled brightly. "We will name the village Konoha. Isn't it pretty?! Madara came up with the name!"

Sakura went to the end of his bed and grabbed his charts. Eyeing the numbers and the notes in the file she had to breathe in deeply when she heard the name. Her heart twisted and a small smile graced her lips. Seeing Hashirama's eager face, she sighed.

"It's perfect, I love it." Her voice sounded weaker than she expected, but no one would notice. Turning around to drop the chart on the table behind her, she closed her eyes tightly. Konoha. Getting her composure back she eyed the numbers again. Happy with what she saw, she faced the four people in the room and smiled down at her patient. Reaching to him, she squeezed his hand gently.

"Hashirama, I am really glad to see you feeling better today." Her mood changed and she poked him hardly on the chest, dark green eyes boring into his soul. "But don't you dare try to die on my like that again! You scared me for a hot minute yesterday!"

Hashirama laughed lightly and meeting his eyes, she could see that he was grateful for what she did. His brown eyes held a fondness and warmth that almost made her choke under a wave of emotions. Mito, seeing how emotional the kunoichi got, stood up and grabbed her hands. Not being able to contain her own feelings, she engulfed Sakura in a warm embrace. The pink haired medic froze under this display of affection.

"Thank you so much for what you did. You are the one who scared me when Tobirama had to carry you out of the hospital!" _That explained some of the looks I got. _Meeting his eyes above Mito's shoulder she gave him a pointed look. _You could have told me. _Not that she was actually angry about it...

Blushing, Sakura patted the Uzumaki's back awkwardly. She had to admit, this hug was making her feel slightly better. It was far from being the bone crushing kind of hugs that Naruto gave. It was more like a mother's embrace. Her eyes met Madara's who was quiet in the corner of the room. She saw him smirk and she did not pay attention to him. Focusing back on Mito, she smiled softly.

"I am fine. Glad I could help..."

Mito scrunched her nose and getting closer to Sakura, inhaled deeply near the crook of her neck. The kunoichi took a step back, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Looking at the Uzumaki with a questioning look, she heard Madara huff behind her and saw Tobirama frowning.

"New perfume? Smells quite unlike you! I swear I smelled similar thing before..." Sakura looked at her with a frown. She did not change soap or anything... Then it hit her. She did not take a shower after getting home. She was smelling like Tobirama. Face flushing bright red when she remembered her own thoughts about the man, she took another step back, quickly meeting his crimson gaze trying to get some help. Tobirama to his defense looked as flustered as she was and he could only look at her with a blank stare. _So much for getting help. _

Hahsirama's teasing smirks did not go unnoticed by the pink haired kunoichi so she quickly opened the door and clasped her hands together.

"Even if I removed all the poison, I still need to create the antidote for you to recover quicker. So… I'll take my leave! I am glad to see you are ok! Mito, Tobirama, Madara.." Nodding quickly to the three other people in the room, she left without a glance behind her.

With an embarrassed flush still on her cheeks, Sakura cursed inwardly. Of course, they would notice something stupid like that! And of course she would react that way! She almost laughed when Tobirama's flustered face appeared in her head. The man had been at a loss of words. Making a detour to her office, she grabbed the box containing the poisoned needle and made her way to the lab. _Guess I'll work the humiliation off…_

* * *

With her sudden departure, the three of them shared a look and then stared at the white haired man pointedly. Tobirama crossed his arms on his chest, which for some reason made them laugh. He looked like a small child getting caught doing something bad.

"I don't see what's so funny about the situation." Tobirama positioned himself next to Mito and Madara, eyeing the door.

Madara nudged him in the ribs and smiled mischievously. His brother was definitely rubbing on the Uchiha. Which could be considered as a good thing but was pretty bad in this situation. The kind of situation where people were making fun of him.

"Since when are you and Sakura on a first name basis, _Tobirama." _ It was the first time he heard Madara teasing someone. He could honestly say that he did not appreciate the fact that the Uchiha was teasing _him._

Tobirama opened his mouth to reply and realizing that she did not add the sama or san after his name, nothing came out. Warmth was spreading slowly on his face.

"Well that's a first, I've never seen you speechless, brother!" Hashirama barked out a laugh and Mito could not repress the giggle bubbling in her throat.

Seeing Tobirama Senju, speechless, fidgeting and blushing was something she never thought would happen in her entire life. Good to know that he was still a human under his cold appearance! Tobirama glared at his brother who was still laughing and slapped him behind the head. Huffing and not able to find anything to reply he mumbled.

"Shut up." And Hashirama's laugh got even louder. Tobirama started to regret his decision of rescuing his brother right now. No, he would never regret it because somehow, it made him closer to her…

Seeing how Mito was laughing and holding his brother's hand, his eyes softened a little. How could I regret this? Shaking his head, he left the room. A smile spread on his lips when he heard Madara join the laughter when the door closed behind him. This day could have been way different if they had not made it on time… and if Sakura did not land in their life like she did back then...

* * *

Even if he was laughing, Madara saw how Sakura's body language had changed at the mention of the name they found for the village and the way she had to turn around to regain her composure... This and the memory of her sudden departure when they had breakfast the other day made him frown. He would get her to tell him what was wrong. He knew it was only a matter of time. For now, he was just enjoying the fact that his oldest friend was _alive _and healthy. Thanks to this pink haired girl who was now as important to him as a sister could be.


	16. Chapter 16

Notes: There ya go! Hope you like it:) A little bit on the heavy side but still fluffish. On another note, I am feeling better, results of some tests came back and I am getting better! Still send some good vibes my way please! I made this chapter short I know, the next one will have a lot of information, so be prepared!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 16

Once she entered her lab, Sakura slumped on her chair and closed her eyes. She was still flustered about the comments made by Mito. Now the Senju clan thought that her and Tobirama had been fooling around, her hospital staff probably started gossiping at the sight of the younger Senju carrying her out the night prior and on top of everything, Hashirama, Madara and Mito had to make fun of her too!

Rubbing her eyes, Sakura exhaled loudly. Poor Tobirama. When Mito talked about her perfume, the man just froze. She would have expected him to say something, like he always did, but no. Maybe he could not find anything to say because he liked her? Sakura knew that she liked him and somehow, there was something more when she thought about the man. She had to admit, she did not mind the remnant of his scent on her. It made her feel... Safe in a way. Shaking her head she opened the box containing the small needle. There was no way that someone like him could have any interest in her. He was kind a friendly, but she was probably imagining things again, like she did when she was younger... _Yes, that's probably it. People like him are not made for people like me... I am not from here, I can't. _

Pushing all thoughts about a white haired man away, she started analyzing the sample of poison that was on the needle. The needle itself was normal. It was some sort of smaller senbon that she saw quite a few times. Nothing that could give her any indication as to who poisoned Hashirama. Taking a sample of the poison, she started her investigation. To her surprise, it was a poison that she already knew and was familiar with. Of course, this one was in the first stages of its creation and was somehow more potent then what she was used to. It probably was the first version ever made of it. Even if she knew it well, it was a strong paralytic with a powerful enzyme meant to shut a person's system down pretty fast. Lucky her, she had everything she needed on hand to create the antidote required. Not so lucky for her, she would have to adjust everything since this version was slightly different from what she knew. Taking out her mortar and pestle, she grabbed all the plants and powder she needed to get to work.

Sitting back at her work table, she started measuring and crushing all the ingredients together. Once that was done, Sakura carefully mixed everything and adding some liquid into the mixture, she tried the effectiveness of it on a medical scroll. She was not surprise at all when the antidote worked. A smile stretched her lips. _I am still good at my job. _

Putting the antidote in a syringe to administer it to Hashirama later, her eyes fell down on the worktable. Seeing the kunai Tobirama brought back from the battlefield she paused. It was probably the same poison, right? Eyes narrowing, she took the kunai and brought it closer to take a better look. And she was glad she did. The color of the poison was barely different but her trained eye saw it. It was a deep purple compared to the other one. The smell... Familiar but not quite. Not wasting any more time observing it, she put down the antidote and focused her attention the weapon fully. What would be the purpose of a second poison?

Going through the same steps as she did with the first poison, she stopped abruptly. Her eyes widened. It was a totally different one. SHe expected some similarities, but no. She had never seen anything like it. Leaning back on her chair, her arms dropped. They had been lucky. This poison was even more potent than the one Hashirama was struck with. This could have been so bad. Rubbing her forehead, she looked down at the purple liquid. _Where are you coming from?_

Being the curious kind, Sakura started to break down the components of the new poison. She was able to find most of the ingredients used in its creation, but there were two or three that she had never seen before. It was quite fascinating. Scribbling what she knew on a scroll she went back to work, not noticing how late it had gotten or the person that had been watching her for the past twenty minutes. She almost fell off her chair when said person knocked on the door of the lab. Startled and frustrated to have let someone taking her by surprise, she glared at the intruder.

Madara entered the room, holding his hands in the air and took a step forward, chuckling silently. She could only notice how casually he was dressed with his shinobi pants and black long sleeve shirt exposing the Uchiha crest proudly on the back. Pushing a strand of hair off his face, his eyes wandered on the table she had been working on and his attention went back to her.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to scare you." Seeing the sincerity in his expression, her shoulders relaxed. She had grown used to have him around, and quite frankly, she liked him. Not in a weird way. She just... appreciated him. He had been there for her on many occasions and proved her that he was not the man who almost destroyed her universe in the future. It was such a shame that he turned out the way he did because of a series of painful events. But now, he would get to be the man he should have been, and that alone made her happy.

"It's alright." Looking up at him with a questioning look, she crossed her arms on her chest. "Madara, what can I do for you?"

The man stood in front of her, silent for a few seconds and then dropped his arms on his sides.

"I was wondering if you would like to come and have dinner, you've been working all day." A chuckle escaped her lips at the last part and she smiled at him.

"Not all day, it's barely been a few hours that-" She stopped talking when a frown appeared on his handsome face.

"Sakura, the sunset was three hours ago." Her jaw fell and she stared at the Uchiha.

No. Could it be? She did not work that long. She would be tired if that were the case… But again, she probably slept twenty hours after the surgery… Seeing her confusion, Madara tilted his head, a small smirk on the corner of his lips.

"There is a small tea shop that opened across the street. One of the women in my clan thought it would be convenient to place it in front of the hospital." Motioning for her to come with him he took a step outside the room. "Come on, you could use a break."

Sakura, knowing it was useless to argue with him nodded her head and walked past him, locking the door of her lab. Smiling up to the man she could not help the thought that crossed her mind. She did not know what it was like to have siblings, but with the way he was looking out for her, she had a good idea what it would feel like to have a brother...

* * *

It was small tea shop, but it had a lot of charm! The delicious aromas hit her nostrils when she got inside, and her stomach betrayed her. Sitting at a small table near a window, she almost laughed. Madara Uchiha's tall form in a small chair was quite a sight to see! Biting back a smile she ordered some green tea and a few dango sticks. Madara placed his order and they started talking. Sakura asked him questions about the transition from their camp to the village and he asked her about the development of the hospital and the training of her apprentices. After a moment, the waitress came back with their order and Sakura almost jumped on the sweet treats. Eating one, she sighed. It was so good!

Madara on the other hand only ordered tea. He was watching her with curiosity. How could she eat this much and stay so small? Shaking his head, he took a sip of tea and put his cup down on the table. Now was the time to be serious.

Feeling the shift in the atmosphere, Sakura stopped chewing her dango and looked up to meet his obsidian eyes. She had a feeling she would not appreciate the next subject.

"So, I meant to ask you..." Weighing his words, he paused. "I did not have time to do so before we left but I wanted to know why you reacted the way you did that morning?"

Sakura who was about to sip on her tea, stilled. Frowning, she looked inside of her cup. Did he take her out and paid for her food only to get this out of her? She trusted him with a lot of things, hell, she could even trust him with her life. Right now, she just really did not feel like voicing the reason of her emotional outburst of the other morning. The thought she had about having a brother came back and she huffed. _He would be an overprotective brother, that's for sure!_ Putting down her cup a little harder than she expected, she met his eyes with a blank stare.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was cold, and he knew he made a mistake. Being a man who did not back out if challenged, he raised an eyebrow and sat straighter. He would have to change his technique; honey was not working. He had to try the vinegar. He should not be surprise, she was really stubborn after all!

"You know what I mean. After you left the compound, you avoided all of us. The only reason you stopped avoiding us was because Hashirama was dying." He tilted his head, curious. "What made you so upset?"

Sakura had a humorless chuckle and shook her head. The man was impossible!

"I'd rather not talk about it. I have a poison to analyze if you'd excuse me."

Getting up to leave, she felt someone approaching from behind. When the person put a hand on her shoulder, she reacted like all shinobi would. She grabbed the person's arm and twisted it behind their back, pushing said person against the table. _Neutralize the threat_.

A surprised Izuna ended up with his face against the polished wood of the table. Glaring at Sakura he tried to get out of her grip, but her chakra enhanced hold made it impossible for him to do so. The small shop grew silent.

"Sakura-chan, let me go." Izuna groaned, feeling his arm getting numb. He tried to break free to no avail. Sending a desperate look to his brother, Izuna stopped struggling. Madara stared at his brother for a few seconds before to focus his attention back on Sakura. He continued their talk like his younger brother was not there. He needed answers.

"I am worried about you. That's all." Madara met her eyes. He could see her frustration and was quite annoyed that his brother interrupted their conversation but tried not to let it show.

"Yeah well, being all nice to me so can I talk about my feelings is not the way to show me that you are worried. Thanks for your concern, but I am fine. If I need help, I'll ask for it." Saying that, she released Izuna and without another glance back, stormed out.

Madara sat there, staring at his tea. It was true, he was worried about her. She was so kind all the time, working to make sure the development of the village was going smoothly. She never took time for herself. Every time he saw her going home, or when she was alone, her eyes were holding such sadness and something else he could not grasp. He did not want her to feel trapped or to feel obligated to share whatever was on her mind, but he wanted her to trust him with those heavy things, this burden she seemed to carry around all the time. The Uchiha could see the damage it was doing to her simply by looking at her emeralds. The first time he met her, there was a fire burning in them. Now, the flame was barely there. He wanted to know why. What could have possibly happen for her to lose this spark? Knowing her, she would never ask for help. He would have to force it out of her and he did not like the thought.

Izuna who got back on his feet and stretched his arm over his head, cleared his throat. She did not go easy on him. He just wanted to say hi, but he knew he should have read the situation before to hop in. Wincing, he turned towards his brother who was finishing his tea.

"What was that about?"

Madara raised an eyebrow, taken out of his thoughts, and Izuna knew not to push the subject. Seeing some dango untouched, he sat and ate the rest of it the under the disgusted look of his brother. The Uchiha leader rolled his eyes. Izuna had no manners.

* * *

After leaving the hospital, Tobirama had spent the whole afternoon doing some damage control. He went back to the compound and talked to a few of the clansmen who had seen him and Sakura earlier that afternoon and explained to them what really happened... Not without pointing out with his cold demeanor and piercing eyes how they had offended the kunoichi and made her feel quite uncomfortable after she spent hours saving their leader. Their face when they realized how rude they had been to the lady were priceless and when he left to go on with his day, he could not help the smirk on his lips. By nightfall, the rumors would stop. He was sure of it.

Going to the river, Tobirama cleared his mind and practiced a few jutsus. He trained for an hour or so when his mind got the best of him. His thoughts kept wandering to soft lips and creamy skin...

Frustrated, he sat on the ground. He had never been the kind of man to be distracted by a woman but there he was, incapable to focus on his training. In his defense, there were no women this interesting in his clan. They all wanted to get married and have a family to leave their shinobi way of life behind. They were smart but not enough to keep him on his toes... like Sakura could. She was knowledgeable, a great medic and an amazing kunoichi. She would probably never quit being a ninja even if she settled.

At the thought of her getting married and bearing children, Tobirama frowned. No man would be worthy of her. _Not even me._ _Wait. why am I thinking about her settling..._

Rubbing his eyes, Tobirama sighed. It was the truth though. She was just too important, too... God sent for normal people like him to think of her like that. He did not like to say that his brother was right, but he liked her. A lot. She was a puzzle and he loved to put the pieces together. Figure out what made her being... Her. He was not man to show his emotions and still, he had been vulnerable in front of her and it didn't feel wrong. Shaking his head, Tobirama got back on his feet.

No matter how hard he tried to get back to his training, he could not find the motivation to do so. Taking off his clothes, he jumped in the river and enjoyed the cold feel of the water on his warm skin. He was torn between two options regarding the pink haired kunoichi. Should he just ignore the attraction he was feeling towards her or just roll with it and see what would happen? Not finding any answer to his dilemma, he got out of the water and after putting back on his clothes, walked back from where he came.

* * *

Tobirama was making his way towards the compound when he saw her leaving the tea shop situated in front of the hospital with an angry pace. What could have put her in such a state? Looking through the window of said shop, the answer was clear. Madara. Anger boiled in his veins and he was surprised of his own reaction. What did he do to her? A frown on his face, he decided to make sure she was alright. Walking in her direction, he followed her, trying to catch up. The younger Senju was surprised when she faced him abruptly, green emeralds bright with anger.

"What now?!" The way she spat the words made him take a step back. He had never heard her this angry.

Seeing that it was not Madara following her, she brought her hand to her mouth and her anger fell. Sakura closed her eyes for a few second, breathing in and out to calm herself. She was ashamed. She had let her emotions get the best of her and was now yelling at someone who did not deserve it. Regaining some sort of control, she opened her eyes and stared at him. His hair was humid and water was still dripping from it. He probably came back from the river... A drop fell from one strand of hair hanging over his forehead and went down the side of his face to his strong jaw and... She snapped her head up to meet his questioning and concerned gaze.

"I am sorry, I did not know it was you." Her voice was quieter, and he barely heard her. Observing her for a few seconds, he walked closer to her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." Her one-word answer did not convince him, but he knew better than to push his luck. He decided to change subject.

"Where were you going?"

She raised her chin to look at him and he could see her surprise. She did not expect him to let it go this easily, but he did. And she appreciated the gesture. With a small smile she clasped her hands behind her back... And his heart skipped a beat because she looked adorable. _Adorable, really Tobi?!_

"I was about to go back to the lab and continue to research the poisons. I am not tired after all the rest I got." Nodding his head he stopped and gave her a perplexed look.

"Poisons? I thought there was only one?"

"I thought so too, but to make sure, I analyzed the one that was on the weapon you brought back when I saw some inconsistencies and… It was two poisons. Completely different. The one in Hashirama's body was one I already knew, but the structure of the one spread on the kunai is far more complicated. I was able to isolate quite a few ingredients, but some of them are a mystery even for me."

Tobirama frowned. If it was a mystery for her, it probably was a complicated one. He saw the way she listed more than a hundred poisons and antidotes on a medical scroll. She was a specialist and even her could not break it down… He would have to take a look at her research and see if he could be of any help. And maybe, just maybe, it was a good reason to spend more time with her?

"Can you show me your results? I might know the missing ingredients. I have good knowledge of some rare plants growing around here that might help."

Seeing how interested he was in this, she could not tell him no. And to see the Nidaime's brain in action was somehow exciting to her! Nodding, she walked back to the hospital, Tobirama next to her. On her way to the lab, she shared with him what she found and her hypothesis and listening to her, he could only be amazed by her method… and the way her green eyes were shining with excitement and happiness. Her soft smile… Her-

"Am I boring you? I am sorry, I use a lot of medical terms and people tend to get lost when I talk about poisons. My teammates used to make fun of me for that." He frowned at the last part. Who could make fun of her for being smart?

"No, not at all. I was only thinking about hypothesis of my own."_ Good lie._

The answer satisfied her because she turned her back on him and unlocked the lab. Getting in his eyes went to the worktable where a variety of equipment was displayed. He had to admit that she had been right when they all met on the cliff for the first village meeting. He was glad she had good and modern equipment. She looked like she belonged in this lab with a variety of tools and beakers on the surface of the table. Just to see her in action was enough for him to acknowledge that she had been right. Sitting next to her to some distance, he observed her movements.

Sakura explained to him how she found some results and redid some of the experiments with practiced ease. Fascinated by her skills once again, he stood up and went behind her, looking over her shoulder to have a better view of the experiment she was conducting. Too absorbed in what she was doing, she did not notice him move.

"This is how I figured that one of the component did not come from a plant, but I don't know where it-" the words died in her throat when she turned her head to look at him and realized he was not sitting next to her, but standing right behind her. Really close. Too close. His chest was mere inches from her back. She could feel the heat radiating from him and his face was so close to hers that she could see the different shades of red in his irises and a small scar on his temple.

"So… This is was I have so far and…" Still feeling the heat and somewhat troubled by his proximity, she stuttered. "I-I hope I'll be able to find the rest of the ingredients soon so I can create the antidote for this one."

Tobirama stayed silent, noticing how she was trying not to turn and look at him again. From where he stood, he had a nice view of her red cheeks, her neck, her shoulder, her collarbone… Heat stirred inside him and his heart went wild. Oh the things her proximity was doing to him… And he hated his body for reacting the way it did.

"I trust your abilities, you are smart and I have no doubts that you will find the answer…" Surprised by his husky voice, she faced him completely and then realized it was a mistake when she met his heated gaze. Trying to take a step backward to put distance between them, her back hit the table. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it would get out of her throat. Why was she reacting that way when he was near? It was maddening.

Not able to stop himself, he took one step forward, eyes grazing her face. Her blush was endearing, he could see the hesitation and the mixed emotions displayed on her face… His crimson eyes stopped on her lips that she caught between her teeth. Lifting a hand, he cupped her face and ran his thumb on her cheek, which made her blush even more. Maybe he could be good enough for her...

* * *

Sakura could not think straight. His hand was so warm, and the position they were in was quite intimate. Was this normal? The way she felt at this moment. The burning feeling in her guts, the fluttering of her heart? A shaky breath left her lips. _Damn, I am acting like a love-struck teenager!_ No one ever made her feel all that. She wanted to get out of the lab, not do something she would regret, but at the same time, she wanted to stay. Just to see what would happen… After putting her village before her needs for so long, would it really hurt for her to be selfish? Maybe she had not been dreaming. Maybe the man before her was feeling something... Not able to resist, she leaned in the touch of his calloused hand. She could see so many emotions in his eyes at that moment that it made her head spin. She knew they had gotten closer the past twenty-four hours but not that close. That could not be real. She was just her and he was the Nidaime, a god in the shinobi world! The thought of him seeing her that way was just ridiculous.

Tobirama held his breath when she tilted her head to enjoy his touch. It would be so easy to bend down and kiss her right now… But the gentleman in him could not do it even if her half-lidded look made it so hard to resist. Maybe she was feeling something...

He did not have time to chose what to do since a nurse came in the lab and walked on them in this weird position. Tobirama did not move and neither did Sakura, caught in the moment. Clearing her throat, the young lady blushed and looked at Sakura, ignoring him completely.

"Sakura-sama, one of the Uchiha clansman broke his leg. We need your help since everyone is busy at the moment."

In a haze Sakura nodded and the nurse almost ran out of the room. Inwardly groaning, Tobirama willed himself and took a step back, his hand falling to his side. Looked like he would have some more damage control to do, since the nurse was a Senju... And the worst when it came down to gossips.

Sakura shook her head and was slightly disappointed when the warmth left her face. Still blushing, she cleared her throat and met his eyes, unsure.

"Duty calls." She paused and not knowing what to say, fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I will keep you informed if I discover anything new with the… uhm, the poison."

Looking deep into her eyes he nodded and before he could stop himself, grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly, then released it.

"Good night Sakura." She shivered at the way her name rolled on his tongue and was about to answer when he transported away, leaving her flustered and in awe. Supporting herself on the table behind her, she let out a breath she did not know she was holding. Sitting down on her chair since her legs felt weak, she grabbed her head tightly in her hands.

"Did this really happen?" Touching her face, Sakura shook her head. "It totally did..." Remembering the broken leg waiting for her, she sprung up and walked out of the lab, making her way to the emergency room.

* * *

Once the emergency was taken care of, Sakura went back to her lab. She was exhausted and frustrated. She made it clear with herself that she would try not to get attached to people here, but she was failing miserably. Especially when it came to Tobirama Senju. Their relationship had been bumpy in the beginnings. Like really bumpy. But she appreciated the man even when he acted stupidly. And now? Now there was some sort of tension between them. A tension totally different from the one they had before.

Slumping in her chair, she shivered, remembering the heat of his eyes on her, the feeling of his hands… And cursed at her lack of romantic experiences. What did this mean? Was it desire? Something more? Just a weird flirt? What did he expect from her? Grabbing her hair, she exhaled loudly. _I wish Ino was here. She would know what to do. _But could she do anything about this when she could be thrown back in her time out of nowhere? Just the thought made her feel uneasy. She grew attached to all of them and going back would feel like a small part of her would die. The same exact way she felt when she appeared here... Why did everything needed to be so complicated. If things were not already complicated and crazy, her birthday was still coming and she still did not know how to deal with the guilt and sadness clawing her heart every time she thought about it.

She stayed in her chair a few minutes before to get up and grab the antidote she prepared earlier. She still had to administer it to Hashirama. Walking towards his room, she had a sad smile on her face. All those thoughts swirling around in her mind. Did she want to go back home? How would it feel to see everyone again? For some reason, she could not feel anything. She felt numb when she thought about that. Shaking her head, she opened the door and plastered the most convincing smile she could on her lips.

"Sakura-chan!" The man before her looked even better than he did when she came over in the afternoon. His skin was closer to its original tan color and the circles surrounding his eyes were paler. Showing him the syringe, she made her way next to him.

"I was able to create the antidote today. Once I administer it to you, I'll have to keep you under observation until tomorrow and if you feel better, you'll be able to go back home for the rest of your recovery."

Getting to the side of his bed, she prepared his arm for the injection. He did not speak to her until she was done injecting the liquid. Removing the needle from his arm she looked up and stopped what she was doing when his serious gaze locked with hers.

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you enough how thankful I am to have you here." He cleared his throat and continued. "This could have been bad. Mito could have been alone, my brother-" Emotions made him stop talking. Breathing deeply a few times, he looked back at her and squeezed her hand. "Thank you. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know."

Shaken, Sakura stood there, staring at him. It was unreal. All of this. Having an intense moment with the Nidaime and now, emotional talk with the Shodaime… It was getting crazy. This whole situation was way above her pay grade. Would they be alright if she was going back? If she disappeared? Chasing the dark thoughts plaguing her mind, Sakura squeezed his hand and released it.

"I am doing what I was trained for. There is no need to thank me, Hashirama." She smiled. "I am glad you are doing better."

Putting all the equipment back where it belonged, Sakura was about to take her leave but his voice made her stop at the door.

"If I can go back home tomorrow, would you like to come and have dinner with us?" Noting the absence of reaction, he continued. "We will all be there, and I am sure Tobirama would like to see you there."

At the mention of the other Senju, Sakura straighten. Looking over her shoulder she gave him an apologetic smile and opened the door. He could see the flash of sadness gracing her green eye.

"I am sorry, I won't be able to make it. I have to train my apprentices tomorrow… Maybe another time?"

Seeing him nod, she left the room.

* * *

Hashirama watched her leave. It felt like every passing day, her determination, her happiness and her fire were wavering... He cursed inwardly and shook his head. He could not sit there and watch her fade away like this and become a shadow when she was supposed to shine as bright as the sun. He would have to talk with Madara and Tobirama. They had to find out what was going on with her.


	17. Chapter 17

Note: You guys! I am so sorry for the huge wait! I did not mean to leave you hanging for more than a month and I apologize! I struggled my way through my university summer semester and honestly, it killed my inspiration for a while, not gonna lie. But! I am back with this chapter:) Hope you will like it! It'll set the atmosphere for the next ones so be patient! I also want to thank everyone who sent me private messages to make sure I was alright and the ones who left nice reviews, I appreciated that and it helped me to finish this chapter. You guys are amazing! Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 17

Hashirama was released from the hospital in the morning since the antidote showed great results. Sakura was happy to see that he had no lasting effects of the poison other than a fatigue that would go away sooner than later.. With a bit of rest, he would be as good as new!

Sitting in her office, she leaned back on her chair, processing everything that happened the past few days. From the breakfast to all the small intimate moments she shared with one Senju. Thinking about it, she could feel the heat on her cheeks. For some reason, when he touched her face, she did not want to push him away. Something was drawing her to him, like a moth to a flame and she could not explain why. Lie. She knew why but she could not let herself feel if she had to go back to her Konoha anytime soon.

Looking down at her desk her eyes wandered on the calendar in front of her. Three days. Three days before her birthday. Thinking about what Madara said she huffed. Maybe avoiding them all had not been the best option, but she had needed the space to think about her situation here. She thought she knew what she was doing at first. She saved Izuna, so why wasn't she going back home? Why did the voice became silent all of a sudden? Pinching the bridge of her nose, Sakura pushed her chair back. Getting up, she grabbed her white coat and put it on. She had not been able to answer those questions, and she probably would not be able to do it anytime soon. Right now, she would do the only thing she could do to make a difference. Heal people.

* * *

Hashirama walked out of the hospital and saw Mito waiting for him at the entrance. Smiling at her, he grabbed her hand and together, they walked back to the compound. Once they arrived, Hashirama went to his room, needing to rest more before dinner. In his bed, he could not help but replaying Sakura's visit to his hospital room the night before. She was doing such a great job with the hospital and he did not understand why she was sad and why she kept a distance from them. He knew she lived a trauma, but by now, she should be feeling good enough to let them in her life... There was something more she was not telling them. That morning, when she did her last check up and let him go, he did not see any trace of sadness in her. Just a peaceful face. A facade. Sighing, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

A knock on his door woke him up and he realized that the sun did not shine through his window anymore. Sitting up, he rubbed his face tiredly. This dinner would be fun. Slowly getting out of his bed, Hashirama put on some pants and a long sleeve shirt. His body still felt sore, but otherwise, he was feeling great. All that thanks to this pink haired woman who came in their life like a gift. Stretching, he left his room, walking at a leisure pace towards the dining room. Multiple voices could be heard and he stopped in the hall, smiling. He was alive. Appreciating the sound of their laugh and conversations, he continued his way.

When he entered the dining room, he noticed that everyone was there for dinner… except Sakura. Feeling a small pang of disappointment, he shook his head. He had really hoped that she would show up... Regaining his happiness, he smiled to his friends and his brother. Stopping at his chair, he sat down at the head of the table and propped his elbow on the wooden surface.

"Happy to see you back up and running, Hashirama!" Izuna's voice pierced the heavy silence that fell on the room. Hashirama met the younger Uchiha's eyes and smiled warmly in his direction. Bowing his head in a silent thanks, he looked at Madara. The Uchiha leader sat straighter and cleared his throat.

"Now. We need to talk about what happened on this mission."

The silence got even heavier and all the men in the room were eyeing each other seriously. Tobirama nodded. The white haired man was observing the group and realized that Sakura was not there yet._ Sakura_. A shiver crossed his spine when he remembered the moment they shared. He wondered how she was doing… and hated the nurse that interrupted them. Who knows where it could have lead. When he had crossed path with her the night before, she had been angry, but somehow, she relaxed and was feeling better with him around... which made his heart beat faster for some obscure reason. He would have to stop by the hospital to see if she had made any progress with the second poison. Who was he kidding. He just wanted to see her, and that need in itself baffled him. He had never been the kind of person to look for a reason to see someone. But here he was. _Pathetic._ Not able to hold the question in, he stared at his brother, trying to appears stoic.

"Will Sakura be joining us for this meeting?" His voice sounded more hesitant than anything and Izuna barked out a laugh. Reaching for his tea cup, Tobirama almost dropped it when the Uchiha slapped his shoulder.

"Of course you'd ask that!"

Tobirama sat back in his chair, shrugging the Uchiha's hand of his shoulder, glaring at him. So much for trying to act normal! About to put this brat to his place, he was interrupted by his brother's amused voice.

"No, she won't be joining us. She had duties at the hospital." At that, Izuna huffed and Madara rolled his eyes.

"She is always there, she could take a break." Mito's mumble was heard by everyone in the room and Tobirama could not help but to agree with her. Sakura barely took time for herself…Let alone have someone taking care of her. At the thought, Tobirama slapped himself mentally and focused back on the men before him. She was troubling him in ways he had never been troubled before, and it was uncomfortable for the proud Senju.

"Either way, we have important things to talk about." Madara's voice was hard and serious. Looking over to his best friend, he frowned. "Now, what can you tell us about the attack? How did you get hit?"

Hashirama stayed silent for a moment and replayed the whole battle and what he remembered of it in his head. When he spoke, his eyes were still focused on the table, like the piece of wood could help him remember the attack.

"I do not know when I got hit with the poison. I just know that I was fighting and at some point, my arms and legs would not move. It felt like I was heavy and achy." Pausing, he frowned. "I could barely move my fingers to perform jutsus. It makes sense, considering the poison being a paralytic…"

Mito approached him and squeezed his shoulder lightly, giving him some courage. Tobirama looked at the man seriously and tilted his head.

"I am assuming that you could not call for help either? Can you recall when you might have been struck by the poison?"

Shaking his head, Hashirama sighed.

"I tried, but I realized what was happening too late… and I can't remember. I might have thought it was only a bug, now that I think of it…"

Madara, who stayed silent for a while processed the information and came to a conclusion.

"So, you did not see anything more than we did…'' Hashirama shook his head and Madara continued. ''Whoever they were, those shinobis were not from the Hyuga clan. They were lacking the obvious pearl eyes characteristic of their clan. We need to find who is behind this. We will have to enter in contact with the Hyugas to know if this attack and mode of operation is familiar to them.''

This closing the subject, each man stayed silent and thought about the situation. Mito broke the silence.

"What excuse did she come up with this time?"

The four men looked up at her like she grew another head. A few seconds passed before they understood what she was talking about and Hashirama shrugged.

"She had some apprentice to train I think…"

"Why is she avoiding us?"

"She is not. She just loves what she does…"

Madara shook his head, seeing the stupidity of his oldest friend.

"Yes she does. But the hospital is also a great place for her to hide when she wants to avoid her problems." Mito nodded in approval to what he said and putting a hand on Hashirama's shoulder she locked eyes with him.

"We need to find out what ticked her off last time." At that, Hashirama rolled his eyes.

"Easier said than done…" Madara chuckled, hearing his friend's resigned voice.

"I tried to get it out of her yesterday…"

Everyone's heads napped in his direction and crimson eyes were locked with his onyx ones. He did not have the time to finish his sentence that Tobirama's hand landed on the table brutally.

"THAT was the reason why she was angry? What did you tell her?!" Tobirama's voice could have cut through steel and Hashirama drank his sake nervously. His brother had never been the kind of person to lose his temper, but there he was, yelling at his friend.

Shrugging, Madara barely gave a look in his direction and continued like he had not been interrupted.

"She does not leave me any other choice. I'll have to use the hard way to get her to open up."

Everyone in the room looked at him, worried. Hashirama poured more sake in his cup. _I have the feeling that shit will hit the fan soon, please kami help us_. Eyeing his best friend warily, Hashirama sighed.

"Good luck with that!"

Madara raised his glass in his direction and drank. On the other side of the table, Tobirama frowned. He did not like the idea of Madara using the hard way. Worried, he could not help the warning look her sent to the Uchiha.

* * *

Madara was making his way to the hospital. It was time for the hard way. Walking through the too familiar corridors, he got to Sakura's office with practice ease and entered without knocking. Her surprise was stamped on her face when she saw the dark haired man standing in the door frame and she got on her feet rapidly, brushing her white coat nervously.

"Come spar with me." His voice was commanding and made her shiver. Mouth open in surprise, Sakura regained her composure and crossed her arms on her chest. She was still frustrated about the way he played her in the tea shop and did not feel like spending time with the man at all.

"No. You can't just barge in and make demands, Madara. I have work to do." To prove her point she pointed to a high stack of paper on her desk and frowned looking back at him.

Madara smirked, knowing she would react the way she did. Crossing the room in two seconds, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. He secured her position, holding the back of her thighs firmly. Her head hit his back with a thud, and she rubbed her forehead, knowing she would have a bruise to heal later. Regaining her bearings, Sakura tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp hitting his back repeatedly with her fists. Huffing in frustration, she tried to move her legs and had to stop under the bruising hold he had. Looking behind him, his eyes met hers and she saw a his irises flash red for a brief second.

"If you don't stop right now, I won't have any choice then to use my sharingan until you comply." Sakura stopped abruptly and stilled, twisting feeling in her guts.

"You wouldn't." Her voice was full of disbelief and Madara could not could not hold in the chuckle that left his lips. Once his hilarity melted, his face became serious.

"Try me."

Crossing her arms again, she dangled from his shoulder, pouting. She knew he would do it if she kept trying to get out of this situation and right now, being face to his sharingan was the last thing she wanted. Her eyes wandered around and looking down she had to admit that the view was not bad at least. Who would have thought that she, Sakura Haruno, would end up in the past, being carried by Madara and looking at his butt while he walked? Shaking her head she looked around her while he carried her like that across the village. She could feel her face burning under the scrutiny of the villagers. First, she had been seen in a compromising position with Tobirama, twice in two days, and now with Madara. The gossip mill would have plenty to talk about... Sighing, she kept silent the whole way to the training grounds. Madara picked the training field located the farthest from the village, halfway in the forest.

* * *

Once they arrived, he dropped her on the ground without any care. Sitting, she glared at him.

"I am not going to spar with you. Especially not after being manhandled in front of the whole village." Crossing his arms on his chest, Madara looked down at her.

"You told me that being nice would not make you talk about whatever is going on with you. So I am trying another way."

Seeing the shadow of a threat in his eyes, she got on her feet, nervous. What was he thinking about... Not giving her any time to process what he had said, he attacked her with a rapidity that she did not expect and landed a hit in her stomach. Bending over, she tried to breathe but could only cough. He was not kidding! Good thing she did not have lunch yet, or else it would be on the ground after that hit. Trying to steady her breathing she rubbed her stomach and looked up, angry. That was the last drop. He wanted to play that game, she could play it too. Seeing the newly lit fire in her eyes, he knew he succeeded, and it was a matter of time for her to tell him what had been bothering her.

Sakura finally attacked him and her fist barely missed his head. The tree behind him exploded and he paused. She was strong, he had to give her that. She came at him again, fast, and deadly, but he danced with her, redirecting her fists and kicks. Feeling the excitement of the battle in his veins, Madara had a smug smile on his lips, defying her.

"Fight me like you mean it." Her eyes narrowed and he felt the switch in her chakra. She was not playing anymore.

With a raging "Shannaro", she attacked him with more force and they started a fierce taijutsu battle. Madara tried to corner her, but with her deadly force, she punched the ground and it exploded, making him back up and lose the progress he had made. He had never seen her fight, and he had to admit that she was very talented and surprising. He had underestimated her and would not make that mistake again. After what felt like hours, Sakura was panting heavily and Madara was breathing harder. Her pink hair was sticking to her cheek and sweat was dripping from her face, clothes torn.

He was so close. He knew it. He just had to provoke her hard enough and she would tumble over the edge, spilling what she had been keeping in. Staring at her, an idea crossed his mind and before he could think about the phrasing, his mouth formed the words.

"Is that all you got? No wonder why your friends died." His voice was so cold that she stop moving. He did not mean what he said, did he?

His words hit her more than all the blows they exchanged for the past hour. The pain she was trying to avoid came crashing back. Bringing a hand to her chest she grabbed her heart. A shaky breath left her lips and her green eyes met his onyx ones. He knew he struck a cord when her body stilled and when he realized he was able to read the emotions on her face like she was an open book. Tears started falling from her eyes, but she was determined and her chakra was rolling off her in waves. He could feel her rage. Maybe he overdid it... He knew he should have thought about a better way to provoke her... Now it was too late to go back.

* * *

Tobirama was in the village, when he felt a burst of dangerous chakra. Hers. Was she ok? Were they under attack? He had never felt her this furious. Not even during the battle with the Uchihas. Worry twisted his guts and different scenarios were flashing in his brain. None of them were reassuring. A frown found his face and he ran as fast as he could towards her and hoped the whole time that she was fine and safe.

Getting closer, Tobirama hid his chakra signature and climbed a large tree. His eyebrows shot up when his eyes found her. She was there, facing his way, Madara in front of her. They both looked like they had been fighting for hours. Her hair was caked with mud and sweat, scratches on her face, clothes torn in a lot of places and Madara did not look any better. Tobirama could even see the shadow of a bruise on her forehead. _What is the meaning of all this?_

Watching them, Tobirama had to contain the rage boiling in his veins. THIS was Madara's idea? Beat her up so she could talk? This was not a human thing to do. Hell, Tobirama was a cold man, but he knew that women did not deserve to be treated that way. _Especially not my Sakura_. Eyes widening when his thoughts hit him, Tobirama shook his head and continued to observed them from where he was. If something were to happen to her, he would not hesitate to intervene and kick Madara's ass, Hashirama be damned. No one could hurt Sakura.

* * *

"Really? You brought me here to tell me something I already knew?" Her voice broke with emotions and rage. Emotions because of her losses and rage because, maybe if she hadn't been weak, she could have save them. She already knew that.

Her words shocked him in return. Did she think her friends died because of her? She was so strong, why would she think about something like that? Analyzing her, standing in front of him, he realized how she was now silently sobbing, looking at him dead in the eyes.

"I want you to talk to me." Her distorted laugh reached his ears and he frowned. "It is ok to need help, Sakura. We all need someone to talk to." At that, he felt a dangerous peek in her chakra.

"I don't need anyone! Especially not you!" The words struck him and he felt a pang of hurt. _E__specially not me?_

Fire still burning, she attacked him again, more vicious than she had been so far. He redirected her fists and blocked her kicks, but the force behind them made him take a few steps backward. She came at him carelessly and seeing an opening, he tripped her. She landed on her back and the shock of her fall knocked the air out of her lungs. Madara took the opportunity and sat on her hips, pinning her wrists to the ground. She tried to get out of his grasp, trashing against him, but he did not budge. Madara looked in her watery eyes and a soft expression crossed his face, which made her stop all movement.

"What's been bothering you lately?"

The way he cared only made her cry more. She did not want anyone to care, she was strong enough to handle things on her own. She had been weak for so long. She could not go back to that girl that was afraid and felt inadequate. Trying to get out of his grasp again she avoided his eyes, looking anywhere but at him. Seeing her trying to get out of the conversation again, Madara grabbed her shoulders and forcefully shoved her into the ground. Furious, she locked eyes with him and he was surprised to see fear in the depth of her emeralds. Closing her eyes shut she started sobbing again. Realizing his sharingan had activated Madara let out a low curse.

"Sakura, it's ok." Shaking her head from side to side, he could see the flow of tears falling from her closed lids. Her body was trembling under him. Letting her hand go, he sat back on his heals and kept a small pressure on her shoulder with his palm.

"Nothing is ok." Her voice was broken and hoarse and his heart broke when he heard it. "I am worst than scum, I abandoned them…" Violent sobs shook her body and she brought a hand to her mouth, trying to muffle the sound.

Knowing she was talking about her friends he could not help the guilty feeling twisting his guts. She was thinking about that only because he was the one who provoked her. Looking down at her, he could see her eyes still screwed shut.

"Sakura, open your eyes." She did not comply for the first few minutes, but he could be patient. He reached down and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Trust me."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and he felt like his heart was in his throat. He had never seen her do defeated and broken. He knew about a part of her past, but there was so much more to it, he could tell by the way she looked at this moment. What kind of destruction had she seen? Who dared take away everything she fought for?

Freeing her hips, he knelt next to her and grabbing her arm, he pulled her to his chest where her face rested on the crook of his neck. She did not fight, she did not say a thing, she just cried. He held her and rubbed her back in soothing motion until her sobs stopped. When she felt slightly better, Madara let go of her back, giving her the opportunity to move if she wanted to.

"I did not mean what I said. You are strong."

She did not move, she could not believe what just happened. Her body reacted to his sharingan with fear. When he looked at her with his red eyes, she saw a glimpse of the old Madara. The one who took everything away from her. She had to talk to herself to remember who he really was. The man that she knew for the past months. The good Madara, not the one with the curse of hatred. The way he held her calmed her and she finally relaxed. Pushing her hands against his chest, she looked up at him and met his calm onyx. Not able to say what she had to say while he was so calm and so attentive, her eyes focused on a point behind his shoulder.

"I am sorry. I overreacted in the tea shop... And I did to when we had breakfast at the Senjus. It's just-" She stayed silent for a minute, trying to keep her emotions in check. "In two days it's my birthday."

"I don't und-" Raising her hand she cut him and he just stared at her, curious to see why her birthday made her feel like that. Birthdays were good, no?

"It is my first birthday since-" Not able to finish her sentence, she looked up at him with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, the meaning of her unsaid words hanging heavy around them.

Madara realized something at that moment. They were all appreciating what she was doing. She was always present, helpful, giving advice. She was overworking herself all the time to make sure everyone was healthy and all the injured were treated... Sakura would listen to the clan members's problems and finding compromises to everything. She was doing so much for everyone, but what were they doing for her?

* * *

After she regained control over her emotions, Sakura and Madara walked back to the village, her going to the market and him going to Hashirama. Izuna who saw his brother walking on his own matched his pace to his brother's.

"Where are you going like that brother?" The younger Uchiha's voice was curious. Seeing how Madara looked at this moment, he had to ask. Madara was a proud man and seeing him with torn clothes and tussled hair was unusual to say the least.

"To see Hashirama and you are coming with me." Knowing that he would lose the argument with his brother, Izuna just followed him to the office.

When they entered, they were greeted by a murderous look from Tobirama. Not knowing what he did to deserve it, Madara shrugged and continued his way until he stood in front of his best friend and Mito. Hashirama took in the view and could not contain his laugh.

"Madara, are you ok? You look horrible." His laugh quieted down when he saw the serious expression on the Uchiha's face.

"It worked." Hashirama raised an eyebrow, looking around to the people present in the office to make sure he was not the only one that didn't understand what the Uchiha was talking about. His curiosity reached a new peek when Tobirama huffed and avoided his gaze, crossing his arms on his chest, jaw clenched.

"Not sure I am following." At that, Madara rolled his eyes.

"I sparred with Sakura. I know what is going on with her."

Hashirama's surprised made him jump up and he almost fell backward. They tried to understand what was going on with her for so long and Madara had been able to do it while _sparring?_ Glancing his brother's way, Hashirama frowned. Tobirama did not look happy at all about this development for some reason.

In his corner, Tobirama replayed in his memory how she cried to the Uchiha and told him everything. A pang of jealousy in his heart, he rolled his eyes. He was able to admit that he would have preferred hearing everything from her directly instead of just being a spectator of this confession. When he thought they were getting close, there she was, trusting Madara of all people with everything that was going on in that head of hers. It bothered him more than he would have liked it to... His thoughts were interrupted by Madara and his findings.

"Her birthday is in two days and it is the first birthday she will have without her family and friends." At that, Mito brought a hand to her mouth. "I think she feels guilty to celebrate while her friends are not here anymore. She has the survivor's guilt."

"Oh, poor dear. I never thought about this." Mito grabbed Hashirama's hand. "That explains so much."

Everyone stayed silent and Hashirama lit up suddenly.

"I know! We need to have a birthday celebration for her. We can invite all the clansmen to show her how appreciated she is!"

At the suggestion, Tobirama huffed a sarcastic laugh and everyone's attention was now directed to him.

"Brother, I think a small gathering would be better." Hashirama almost cut him but a hard look sent his way made him listen. "A large gathering might be to much for her to handle considering everything she has been through. She might think that we are trying to replace the ones she's lost."

Madara was surprised with the insight given by Tobirama, but could only agree. After seeing her raw emotions today, he could attest that a small celebration would definitely be better. He was about to tell his friend that Tobirama was right, but Hashirama waved his hand, dismissing his brother's words.

"Nonsense, she will love it."

Tobirama pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. _No she won't._ But he did not say anything, knowing how impossible it could be to try to reason with the Senju leader when he had an idea in his stupid head. Hashirama started the planning, bending over papers to note ideas and everyone else started to give suggestions. Rolling his eyes, Tobirama walked to the door and turned around, glancing to the happy group.

"I'll patrol around the village, let me know if you need my help."

Leaving the office, he looked up at the moon and sighed. She would hate this birthday celebration and he knew it.

* * *

March was almost over. She did not take the time to deal with this and now was the time. Madara's spar just opened her eyes to the fact that she needed to face her demons once and for all. Walking back to her house slowly, she cursed inwardly. Her whole body was sore and right now, she was too tired to even think about healing her bruises and cuts. Stopping to a small shop, she bought a bento box and a few bottles of sake under the disapproving look of the old lady behind the counter. She probably looked horrible with strands of grass in her hair, the cuts marring her skin and outfit... and leftover tears smudge with dirt.

The walk back to her house was quiet and when she entered, she kicked her sandals off, going directly to her bedroom. Looking at herself in the mirror she scoffed. _No wonder why people looked at me that way_. Opening her dresser, she paused and chose the large blue shirt and the pants that were given to her by Tobirama a few days ago. The scent of summer rain and forest surrounding her when she picked the clothes up was reassuring. Quickly changing, she then wiped her face clean, healed the bruise on her forehead and put her hair in a messy bun.

Sakura went back to the kitchen, grabbed two bottles of sake and opened the back porch door. Sitting on the last step, she buried her feet in the soft grass and opened the bottle of sake. Looking up at the moon, she sighed. Gulping a few sips of the sake she leaned on the step behind her, letting the warmth of the alcohol settle in her stomach. She had to voice her thoughts. Saying it out loud would make it real. It would make it better. So she decided to talk to the moon.

"I know how we would have celebrated my birthday if you guys were still here." Her voice sounded weak in the silence of the night. A chuckle left her and a sad smile found her lips. "It would probably be a day like all the others, I would be at the hospital overworking myself yet again. Naruto, you would probably drag Sasuke to my office and barge in like you always do. Then you would force me to go to Ichiraku and get ramens… for the third time that week."

She paused, lowering her head down and shaking her head, still smiling. Tears shining in the corner of her eyes.

"I would probably give you a speech about healthy food and veggies in a diet. Ino would try to talk me into going to the bar later on… Kakashi sensei would probably show up out of nowhere and we would try to see his face for the millionth time under that damn mask. He would probably find yet another way to ditch us without paying… But let's be honest… That won't ever happen again, right?" Her voice broke and she muffled a sob. Taking another gulp of sake, tears welled up in her green eyes and flowed freely down her cheek.

Clutching her hair in her available hand, she let out a shaky breath. Gripping the collar of the long sleeves shirt she was wearing, she brought it to her face to wipe her tears and Tobirama's particular scent reached her nose. Instead of wiping her face, she brought it closer to her nose and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Her shoulders relaxed. Calmed, she was able to continue.

"My first birthday without you guys. Without everything I know. It feels so weird." Huffing, she shook her head. "Since I got here, I still have the feeling that I am out of place, like I don't belong here. I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back home. See Ino, Shikamaru, and the others ever again. On the other hand, I don't even know if I want to go back. Despite still having friends in our Konoha, I feel like I am making a difference here. You guys would not believe how amazing it is to walk next to the founders and help them create what we took for granted."

Gulping the rest of the bottle down, Sakura stayed silent for a while, looking up at the moon. Voicing everything made her feel lighter... But also made her heart feel empty. Opening another bottle, she drank it as fast as the first one. The numb feeling settling over her body, she leaned back in the steps. It did not hurt anymore. At least, not as much as it used to... Yawning, she stretched and sleep found her on the steps of her back porch, laying under the moonlight.

* * *

He had been there. From the moment she she lost her cool during her spar with Madara to the moment she cried and finally burst out and voiced what had been bothering her. Call him selfish, Tobirama never thought about how deep her pain could be. She was Sakura. She would bounce back. But this moment made him realize that even though she was accomplishing great things for the village, she was still a woman who had lost everything not too long ago. It was so easy to forget that she was a human after all. And for that reason, he admired her even more. The way she was able to do so much even with her past bothering her. At least that's what he thought until he saw her, sitting on the stairs with her bottle of sake. She looked fragile and almost to her breaking point... and gods... she looked amazing in his clothes.

Tobirama surprised himself when he reached and grabbed his chest when she was talking. It was painful to see her so defeated and sad. He felt the irrepressible need to go to her and make sure she was alright. To tell her that everything would be ok, that they could figure it out. _That I am here for her._But he did not think she would react well, knowing he had been there the whole time, listening to her. He would keep this a secret. She did not need to know that he felt her pain like it was his... That his heart fluttered at the thought of her staying with them. It never crossed his mind that she would ever leave, but it was a possibility, judging by what she said. When she fell asleep, Tobirama let out the breath he was holding.

Something was happening in him when she was around. He did not like human contact, but with her, it was different. The whole time, he had to repress the urge to wipe those tears. The main thing that caught his attention while she talked and that made him perplex was the way she talked about her village. She used "our Konoha". Was it a figure of speech or was her village name Konoha? Maybe she used those words because this village made her think about the one she lost? His gut feeling told him otherwise. He pushed the thought in a corner of his head, he would have to ask her later.

The image of her burying her nose in his shirt came back and he cursed silently. The fact that her shoulder relaxed when she took in his scent was awaking a deep masculinity pride in him, something he never felt before. There he was, Tobirama Senju, deeply troubled by a woman. Shaking his head he looked up at the moon and exhaled loudly. Realizing that she would probably not wake up until the morning, he left the shadows and approached her.

Crouching in front of her, he wiped a stray tear off her cheek and his hand lingered on her skin. She looked so peaceful and was so beautiful with the moonlight caressing her face. He wanted to see her at peace like this when she was awake, not only when she was asleep. Putting the empty bottles of sake aside, Tobirama hooked his arm under her knees and lifted her bridal style. Slowly carrying her inside, he closed the back door with his foot and took the direction of her bedroom. Pulling the comforter out of the way, he laid her down on the bed and carefully tucked her in. This done, he turned around and was about to leave when cold fingers grabbed his weakly. Slowly turning around, he saw her green eyes half opened still shining with the remnant of tears fixed on him.

"Stay..." Her whisper hit him harder than anything ever did. She wanted him to stay? He could not, for more than one reason. She was drunk, she did not know what she was doing. She also did not know all the weird things she made him feel. No he could not stay. It would not be proper. Of course he would have loved to watch over her as she slept, but- "please." Her small voice interrupted his thoughts and made him harder for him to take the right decision.

He knew he lost the battle when she fell back asleep, still holding his hand with a strong grip. She needed him. Or so he hoped. Slowly, Tobirama removed her hand from his and took off his armor. Without waking her up, he laid over the blanket next to her. He could watch over her for a few hours and then leave incognito. No one would have to know. His face was burning while he tried not to think too much about the situation, which was hard considering that her warm body was only a few inches from his and that she trusted him this much. _Just a few hours, then I'll leave. _Her regular breathing and the warmth emanating from her body lulled him slowly into a deep sleep, surrounded by the sweet smell of flowers.


	18. Chapter 18

Note: What to do when insomnia is your best friend? You write the rest of the chapter! You guys, I was finally able to fall back asleep at 4 this morning haha. Would have posted it then, but I had to review it to make sure that my thoughts were coherent during the night! Here you go, hope you appreciate this and again, thank you for being the best and for sending me so many positive reviews!

P.-S. To be honest, I never thought I would get as far as 18 chapters, but I keep getting ideas and the story keeps getting longer. Hope you don't mind haha!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 18

Tobirama woke up slowly. He honestly did not remember the last time he had such a great night of sleep. The bed was comfortable, warm and so soft… Taking in a deep breath, a sweet scent made him realize where he was and crimson eyes opened abruptly_. So much for leaving incognito_…

There she was, sleeping next to him, her head on his chest like it was the most natural thing in the world. Looking around him, he saw the blanket covering both their bodies. Somehow, he ended up under it too. Trying to move without waking Sakura up, he had to stop when he realized the compromising situation they were in.  
Their legs were tangled, and she somehow hooked her ankles under his legs, his right arm was behind her head, hand tangled in soft strand of pink hair and his left one… Tobirama gulped. His left arm was holding her body close to his in an intimate embrace, hand on her waist… Tobirama silently cursed the universe for being in this position, but not because of the fact that he was basically hugging her. No. It was the fact that her small and soft hand was under his shirt on his abdomen… and that she was basically on top of him. Tobirama looked at the ceiling, taking a few shallow breath, trying to calm down. He just had to find a way to get out of this position without waking her up, because knowing her, she would probably be embarrassed and would definitely be avoiding him for the next few days, which he did not want... Or she would punch him through next week. He had to figure it out and fast.

Once his heart rate went back to a somehow normal rhythm, Tobirama looked back at the position they were in. Analyzing the situation, his thoughts were sidetracked again. The large shirt she had been wearing the night prior (his shirt) fell off her shoulder during the night, giving him a perfect view of her creamy skin an the gentle curve of her breasts. Feeling his pants becoming really uncomfortable, Tobirama tried to will his body to stop reacting to her to no avail. His brain could only summon images of her that made his blood boil in his veins, not helping the situation at all. For the first time, the great Tobirama Senju was at a lost. His body was getting the best of him and he hated it.

Suddenly, Sakura moved in her sleep, pressing herself closer to him, her hand sliding up on his rib cage, her leg rubbing against a certain sensitive area. Tobirama screwed his eyes shut, trying to focus on anything else, but could only feel how soft her body was. A delicious shiver shot down his spine and his breath caught in his throat when she nuzzled his neck. The man had been tortured before but this... this was on a whole other level. He could not help the low pained moan that escaped his lips. His hand tightened on her waist and looking up, he clenched his jaw. _Gods, have pity..._

* * *

A strangled sound woke her up from her peaceful slumber. A small headache was pulsing behind her eyelids and she started to regret drinking the two bottles of alcohol the night before. Sakura was surprised by the warmth emanating from her bed and pillows, because normally, she was cold most of the time when she was waking up… _Wait. Pillows are not producing heat_. Slowly opening up her eyes, she pushed up with her hands to sit in her bed. Feeling something hard and warm under her hand, she froze. Her vision was acclimating to the small amount of light coming in from the window. Suddenly, her eyes caught a movement below her, and looking down, she froze.

Tobirama Senju was in her bed, underneath her and the hard and warm thing she was feeling with her hand was his abdomen. Troubled, she could not talk and seeing his face getting warm, she realized that he was as embarrassed as she was... Or so she thought, not knowing the battle raging in him.

A dozen scenarios flashed in her mind and the most plausible that she could think of was not reassuring and involved them and a few adult thoughts she had the previous week. Taking in her position, it hit her that maybe, just maybe they slept together and she just did not remember. The man was handsome, it was a possibility, but one that she did not particularly want to think about. Seeing that her hand was still under his shirt, she removed it like she had been burned.

"Oh shit, don't tell me that-" Ashamed of what she thought they did and of her behavior, Sakura did not finishing her sentence and tried to scramble out of her bed.

Not noticing her legs wrapped with his, she got caught and started falling from the bed. Waiting for the impact, she closed her eyes, but warm hands grabbed her waist and Tobirama twisted her body so she could land on him. They hit the ground with a thud and she felt the air being knocked out of his lungs at the impact. Opening her eyes, she saw the look of concern on his face.

"Are you alright?" The huskiness of his voice made her shiver and she cleared her throat.

"I am ok." Pausing, Sakura left the warmth of his hands on her to get on her feet and held her hand towards him. "Are you?"

Staring up at her, he could only notice how cute she looked in the morning with her blush, the sleepy eyes and her bed head... And it was not helping his situation. He hoped she did not realize his... problem. Reaching for her hand, he got up and shrugged, rubbing the painful spot on the back of his head. If she was talking about the fall, he was doing just fine. If she was talking about their previous position, he was still recovering.

"Been through worst."

The silence stretching between them was now awkward and not knowing what happened the night before kind of left her in a disadvantage. He was also looking at her intensely, his body tense, noting every movements she was making and she felt like a prey in front of him. _Please, don't tell me I did anything stupid._ She already had a complicated relationship with the man and definitely did not need to add something else to it. Her cheeks got redder under the scrutiny of his look. She had to get out of the bedroom. Sakura gripped her elbow and avoided his gaze.

"I'll uhm… I'll prepare some tea."

Not waiting for his answer, she almost ran out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Her heart was going crazy in her chest. Sakura, what the heck was that? What happened? Trying to recall what happened last night, she sighed. She drank and then? Did she invite him in her bed? Again, the man was attractive and was awaking feelings in her that she never experienced. It would not be to far fetched to think about this possibility. She had to admit... She felt a pang of disappointment thinking about the fact that they might have had some kind of... intercourse, but she could not recall any of it. She hoped they did not, because she wanted to remember her first time, not be drunk out of her mind while doing it...

Sakura dropped her head on the pantry and sighed realizing the thoughts crossing her mind. _What a mess..._

* * *

Tobirama watched her run out and when the door closed, he released the breath he had been holding. Sitting on the bed, he held his head in his hands. That was awkward to say the least… For some reasons, he expected her to throw a fit or even better, throw things at him, but she had been speechless. He had not been any better and honestly did not know what to say, which was curious. Noticing a bowl of water on her desk, Tobirama walked to it and dabbed water on his warm face.

Grabbing the sides of the desk, he stared at himself in the mirror, shaking his head. What a morning! Turning back to face the bed, he remembered the feel of her body on his and had to admit… He wanted more. More of her touch, more of her warmth in his life… How could he go about that? She was far from being a normal person. She was not superficial like most women, he considered her like his equal strength wise, she was just different. She was smart and it turned him on. Not being the most forward when it came to affairs of the heart, Tobirama was at a lost.

Did this intimate embrace troubled her like it did him? This morning was far from the innocent moment they previously had in the lab. It was something else, something deeper... Picking up his armor, he sighed. He would have to find a way to figure it out without messing up… _Maybe Hashirama... NO! _He was getting crazy if he thought that his brother could give him good advice. He definitely did not feel like being laughed at.

* * *

Sakura was preparing the tea cups and her back was facing him when he came out of her bedroom. Good thing, because she really did not know how to act with he man at the moment. Taking the teapot, she poured water in the cups and looked over her shoulder to see him battling with one of the strap of his armor situated under his left arm. She let him deal with it, but after a while he was still not able to attach it and looked quite frustrated about it. Not able to stop herself, she walked to him and pushed his hand away, grabbing the leather straps and putting her hand on his chest lightly to have him stop moving. Tobirama looked down at her, troubled by her closeness again.

"Let me try to-" She did not have the time to finish her sentence that her front door burst open with a joyful Hashirama walking in, followed by Mito and Madara. Hashirama paused seeing them so close and took in the situation. Them two, the closeness, her hand on Tobirama's chest, the two tea cups. The fact that is was early in the morning and that they were both standing near the bedroom, her wearing his brother's clothes. A mischievous smile stretched his lips and he gave a nudge to Madara's ribs.

Sakura seeing the train of thoughts of the newly arrived visitors looked up at Tobirama with wide eyes. Seeing her distress, he frowned, his previous trouble forgotten. This situation was getting even more complicated.

"Are we interrupting something?" Hashirama's voice was teasing and he wiggled his eyebrows. Mito understanding the innuendo turned bright red and Madara crossed his arms on his chest smirking. Sakura turned her back on them and finished to tie Tobirama's armor and looking up at him, took a deep breath.

"Do you know how to knock?" Her voice was serious and she gave Hashirama a look over her shoulder.

Tobirama grabbed her hand lightly, trying to avoid her temper to flare up and was about to add something, but she gave him a determined look. He could have sworn he saw a glimpse of amusement in her green orbs but he could have made it up. Seeing that she wanted to defend herself, he took his hand off hers and leaned on the door frame casually, crossing his arms on his chest. Staring at Madara, Tobirama shrugged and kept a stoic face on while Sakura faced the visitors.

"Your brother got injured while patrolling last night and came to me this morning so I could heal him." Tobirama had to admit, she sounded really convincing.

"And this is why you are wearing his clothes, I imagine?" Madara's voice was full of sarcasm and she had to take a deep breath before to answer, or else, she would have let her act slip.

"For your information, _Uchiha-sama-_" Madara froze at the honorific, knowing he should have kept quiet and he frowned, seeing the amused curve on the younger Senju's lips. "This was given to me to replace my blood soaked clothes when I saved his ass." She ended her sentence by pointing at Hashirama. Madara smirked.

"You did not answer the question." Rolling her eyes, Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"After our "chat" I was too sore and tired to go through my clothes for the night and this was on top of my drawer." Her eyes bored into Madara's and he lost his smirk when she added: "I don't appreciate having people question my work ethic and decisions first thing in the morning, so if you'll excuse me, Tobirama-sama and I were about to continue our discussion on the training curriculum for the young future shinobis."

Walking across the room, she went back to where the tea cups were and looked at the three of them over her shoulder. "You know where the door is." Her voice did not leave any room for argument, the discussion was definitely over.

The three people behind her exchanged surprised looks and three pairs of eyes focused on Tobirama who shrugged. "You heard what she said." Keeping a straight face was hard at that moment since they all walked towards the door in a stupor. Before exiting, Mito paused at Sakura's height.

"At least, do me the honor to come over for dinner tomorrow night? I missed your presence this past week."

Wanting to figure out the situation between her and Tobirama without having them breathing down both of their necks, Sakura shrugged.

"Sure, sure. See you tomorrow night."

Mito walked to the door, but before to leave, looked back at Tobirama and sent him a triumphing glance. Sakura did not have a clue that she just accepted to come to her own birthday party. Remembering his brother's plan, Tobirama frowned.

When the door closed, Sakura's shoulder sagged in relief. Turning around with the two cups in her hands, she was faced with a frowning Tobirama looking at the now closed door. His attention focused on her as she handed him a cup and he took it, nodding his head in thanks.

"We have to talk about the fact that you don't lock your door at night.'' At first, she thought he was kidding, but meeting his serious gaze, she paused and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Getting closer to him, she poked his chest with her finger.

"Are you for real? I just saved both our asses the humiliation and the first thing you think about is my habit of not locking the door? Tsk.. Ungrateful Senju-" Being called ungrateful did not sit well with him so he did not let her any time to finish.

"All I am saying is that we would not have been in this situation if you had locked the door in the first place."

"You mean, if you hadn't been there this morning, none of this mess would have happened?" She was slowly getting the best of him and he was starting to lose his patience. The frown on his face deepened and he answered her with a hard voice.

"I can leave now if you want me to." Looking down at her, he saw the beginning of a smile she tried to hide with her tea cup and tilted his head. "… And you are messing with me."

She shrugged and walked past him to go to her back porch. Looking behind her, she send him an amused look.

"Maybe I am, maybe I am not." Seeing him rooted into place, she remembered that they had to clear whatever happened the night before and blushed slightly. "Are you coming? We have things to talk about."

Getting out of his torpor he followed her outside and sat on a stair next to her. He was always at a loss of words with her. She always had the right thing to say for his brain to stop functioning properly. This feeling was quite new for him.

The same awkward silence surrounded them while they were sipping on their tea. Tobirama did not know where to start. The situation was already quite strange, he did not need to open his mouth and make it weirder. His head snapped up when she started talking.

"Did I… Did you…" Blush staining her cheeks, she took a deep breath, and was finally able to form a coherent sentence. "Can uh… Can you tell me why I woke up with you in my bed?" That was a good start.

The first few words coming out of her mouth somehow gave him a clue of what she thought happened and his heart beat accelerated slightly. If she thought about that kind of possibility and did not react strongly, did it mean that she might have had some sort of attraction towards him? The thought itself made him feel all fuzzy inside… Seeing her waiting for an answer he cursed inwardly. _Get your head out of the gutter!_

"I uh.. I was patrolling last night and found you on the steps, asleep." Scratching the back of his head, he avoided her gaze, uncomfortable. "I brought you inside and was about to leave but you asked me to… stay." Clearing his throat, he looked back into her curious emeralds. "So, I did and planned to leave after a few hours, but…"

"You fell asleep." Closing his mouth, he nodded. He looked guilty, for some reason, but she decided to let it go. "This week was crazy, I cannot blame you."

"I am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable this morning." Looking at the woods in front of them, he took a sip of tea. He was not really sorry because he appreciated this new twist in their relationship, but for her sake, he could apologize.

Looking at his face for a moment, she hummed and shrugged. She closed her eyes and presented her face to the sun, enjoying the feel on her skin. Silence fell again, but this time, it was comfortable.

Sakura was thinking about how better she felt this morning. About her, about life, about the situation she was in... She came to term with a lot of things the night before because of Madara and even though it had been painful, she was thankful for the help. She had been pushing things away for too long. Exhaling slowly, she reopened her eyes and drank from her cup. Life was not perfect, but right now it was good to her. This whole situation with Tobirama did not phase her, but she was really touched that he stayed when she asked. _When my drunk self asked._ He cared. Might not look like it most of the time with this stupid stoic face of his, but he had a good heart and knowing that she was one of the few knowing this made her feel a warmth in her chest. He had been distant with her in the beginning and later on had not been scared to be vulnerable with her and was able to admit that he had been scared for her well-being. There was so much more to Tobirama Senju than the history books were reporting. It was also really easy to rile him up when he was trying to prove a point... In general, she felt lucky to be able to discover him under a new light. She had to say, the man was growing on her. Like, _really _growing on her.

Remembering the feel of his abdomen under her fingers, something new stirred inside of her. She had never been the most experienced with men, but she could label this feeling she had since their moment in the lab as desire. Waking up next to this man, this handsome and strong man, who would not feel this way? Smiling a bit, she shook her head an leaned back on the step. Her younger self would have probably had a heart attack to wake up in such circumstances, but since nothing was normal anymore, she did not really care.

Tobirama was sitting next to her, enjoying the silence. For some reason, he was still hearing the way she talked the night before about "our Konoha" and even by analyzing the reasons for this choice of words, he could not find anything logical. Was he overthinking? In fact, they did not really know where she was from or how she got so close to their camp. She was peculiar but helped them so much. Glancing at her, his shoulders relaxed. It could not be anything bad. She was a good person.

In this moment, he had to admit that Madara might have been right about the hard way. She looked... at peace. Her green eyes, while still holding remnant of her past, appeared to be more serene. Lighter. The flame that was barely shining in her emeralds the past few weeks was back... And it was a mesmerizing view. Knowing what he knew, he was seeing her under a different light. She was fascinating. A puzzle with ever changing pieces and he felt lucky to be able to find new pieces of her every day. Taking a quick decision, he continued to look at her and the way the sun lit up her face with a warm glow.

Sakura glanced up and almost choked on her tea when she realized that he had been staring at her for the past few minutes. There was something warm in his eyes. Something that sent a shiver down her spine. His look was so intense that she felt like her could read her thoughts.

"Is everything ok?" Her voice sounded small and unsure. Drinking the last of his cup, he set it on the step and got up on his feet. Eyes never leaving hers, he graced her with one of his rare smile and she almost choked again. She had never been on the receiving end of it and now that she was, it felt like someone hit her.

"You look different Sakura. It suits you." Seeing the way she reacted to his smile made his decision even easier. Taking her hand in his briefly, he gave it a squeeze and let it go. Her eyes widened and she frowned lightly.

"Thank you for the tea." About to transport himself, he paused and turned back to her. "Maybe I can tempt you with dinner later this week?"

Her mouth fell open as she sat there, wondering if she heard him right. Sakura nodded her head numbly, still in shock, which made him smirk as he did the last seal of his transportation jutsu.

Sakura sat on her back porch for a few minutes, trying to figure out what just happened. First, they woke up together, then they were almost humiliated in front of their friends, after that, they drank tea and talked comfortably and he just... asked her out? Did he just asked her on a date? And she said yes? This was so unlike him though. Well, it was unlike what she expected of him. But she was pleasantly surprised... Picking up his cup, she stared at it and recalled his smile. A blush crept on her face. _Of course, h__e has dimples when he smiles. _

* * *

Sakura went about her day and walked to the hospital. She had a feeling that her relationship with Tobirama went from complicated to even more complicated that morning. What were they? Flirting? Maybe. Who knew what was going on in this head of his? Stopping by her office she grabbed her white lab coat and did her round.

Getting in the lobby to ask a question to one of the nurse, she was surprised to see Izuna, elbows on the counter, talking with one of the girl. When he saw her, a blush stained his cheeks. What was that reaction for? Looking behind him to see who he was with, she smirked when her eyes fell on her best apprentice Ama. Meeting his eyes, she raised an eyebrow. Excusing himself, he ran towards Sakura and stopped in front of her, scratching the back of his head.

"Hey Sakura!"

"Izuna, my staff has a job to do and you flirting does not help us at all you know that?"

"Actually, she was going to take her dinner break, but-" Seeing something he did not like in her eyes, Izuna stopped talking. "No. No Sakura, you better not." A mischievous smile found her lips and she clasped her hands behind her back.

"Better not what?" Her innocent look made him blush even more.

"Please, do not tell Madara and Hashirama yet. Or I'll tell them about your attraction to Tobirama-" Slapping the back of his head Sakura growled.

"I am not attracted to him." Of course, both of them knew that to be a lie so it was now her turn to blush, remembering the recent events. Izuna took advantage of her being flustered.

"You are, it is as evident as a nose in the middle of a face, Sakura. He is attracted to you too judging by his outbursts when someone treats you poorly and the way his eyes are warming up when he looks at you.''

Sakura paused and thought about it. She could not deny that he had been looking at her with a warmth in his eyes that hadn't been there before. But outbursts, Tobirama?

"He doesn't-" realizing that she was talking alone, she cursed. _Damn Izuna_. Now she had even more things to sort out regarding a certain white-haired Senju... _But honestly... What is there to sort out? He is handsome and you like the man..._

* * *

Madara spent the day with Hashirama, doing paperwork while his friend was finalizing the details for Sakura's birthday tomorrow. He had picked up her gift earlier that day and was really pleased with the result. Signing the last document on the desk, Madara pushed his chair and waved at his friend.

"I'll go check on her and make sure she is alright today." At that, Hashirama snorted.

"She looked quite fine with my brother this morning."

Rolling his eyes, Madara left the office, hearing Hashirama's laugh even when he was outside of the building.

This morning when he saw them so close, something stirred in him. Of course, Sakura was amazing, but he did not have any kind of attraction to her. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He was feeling like he had to protect her. Like an older brother. It wasn't the first time he had that thought, but this time, he knew that it was how their relationship was. She was open with him, trusting him and he was trusting her. She stood up for him and his clan during the negotiations and made sure that everyone was equal. He had affection for her like he did Izuna and also... she would never looked at him like she looked at the younger Senju. But he was fine with that. As long as she was happy.

Climbing on her front porch, he opened the door and sat at her kitchen table, waiting for her.

* * *

The rest of her shift went smoothly and she was back home surprisingly early, which was amazing. Getting closer to her house, she saw that her door was open. Taking one of her kunai out of her pouch, Sakura walked slowly to it and kicked it open, entering and tackling the intruder. Her kunai was deviated by another one and she ended up face to face with Madara. Breathing out she cursed.

"Shit! Please don't ever scare me like that again" Pinching the bridge of her nose, she continued. "You could have waited on the front porch instead of breaking into my house, Madara."

Crossing his arms on his chest, Madara huffed and a smirk found his lips.

"To break in I would have to unlock your door, which, for your information, was already unlocked. If you don't want unwanted visitors, you might want to lock it." Smug expression on his face he cocked his head on the side and looked at her.

"Not you too! I am a grown woman, I can handle an intruder or two."

"This isn't relevant. Grown woman or not, you need to be more careful." Rolling her eyes, she walked passed him and started water for some tea. A smile spread on her lips thinking about her bickering with Tobirama about locking the doors when she cleaned the cups from this morning. Madara saw her smile before she could hide it.

"Looking happy today." Turning toward him, she shrugged and about to resume what she was doing, he grabbed her shoulder gently and made eye contact. "But seriously, how are you doing?"

Thinking about it for a moment, she wasn't looking at him. Activating his sharingan, he scrutinized her facial expression and her eyes. That done, he deactivated it and relaxed. She looked peaceful.

"Actually... I am good! Definitely better and this is in part because of you, so thank you." Seeing the sincere expression on her face, Madara's eyes softened.

Staying with her for an hour, they talked about clan matters and her days in the hospital. Once their conversation over, she walked him out on the front porch. He was about to leave, but looking back, he paused. She smiled at him and he turned around, walking back to her. In front of her, he wrapped his arms around her body and dropped a small kiss on the crown of her head against his better judgment.

"I am glad you feel better." Hearing her giggle, he looked down at her bright eyes.

"Softy." Madara took a step back and raised an eyebrow.

"If you tell this to anyone, I'll deny it." Smiling down at her, he walked back down the stairs. "Have a good night."

Sakura stayed a few minutes on the porch, watching his back. He was a good man. Who knew that an Uchiha could show that many emotions? It was quite new for her, but she appreciated it. Being in the past did not seem so hard anymore when she thought about the people surrounding her.

* * *

A few shadows watched Sakura go back into her house. Seeing the interactions she had this morning with Tobirama and now with Madara, the shadows came up with a plan. Smile creeping on their lips, they left.

* * *

_She was running. It was so dark. She could hear Tsunade's voice and for a moment she thought it was her imagination until she saw her blond hair in the distance. The Hokage was walking in front of her in this void. _

_"Tsunade, is it you?" The hope in her chest was painful. Tsunade faced her, staring at her with a sad expression in her warm honey eyes. Approaching, she gently touched Sakura's cheek and the young kunoichi could not hold in the tears flowing freely from her eyes. _

_"I did this for you, for us, please don't hate me..."_

_"I don't understand-" She could not voice anything else. Her body was falling and reopening her eyes, she was in a place that was too familiar. __Battle sounds caught her attention and she was standing on the battlefield, again. Reliving the last moment of the war. She could see Naruto and Sasuke fighting and herself standing with them. Shaking her head Sakura's eyes widened. Why can I see myself? What is this? She was seeing the last moments of the war like she was a spectator. Knowing what happened next, Sakura averted her eyes._

_"Don't look away Sakura, you will understand..."_

_Sakura screwed her eyes shut and shook her head. _

_"No, I need to wake up... WAKE UP!"_

Sitting up straight in her bed, Sakura could not control the shaking of her body. It had been so real. The voice of her mentor, her touch... Bringing her hand to her face, Sakura touched her wet cheeks only to burst into tears again. What was that about? Her normal war dreams did not feel this real...

Getting out of bed on shaky legs, she slowly made her way to the kitchen and made herself some coffee. Leaning on the counter she exhaled. She just missed them, that was probably the reason why this dream had been so vivid... Getting her thoughts and herself back together, she quickly dressed and left for work even though it was still dark outside. There was no way she would be able to fall back asleep.

* * *

It was almost five o'clock when Mito burst into her office, hands on her hips. Sakura raised her head from the pile of paper sitting on her desk and Mito took in her appearance. Obviously, she did not sleep well, according to the dark circles under her eyes.

"You are coming with me."

"Mito, I can't. I have a lot of work to do."

"Did spending time with Tobirama affected your memory? You agreed to come and have dinner with me tonight."

Remembering the moment when she agreed to this, Sakura leaned back in her chair, throwing her head back and sighed. Pinching the bridge of her nose she groaned.

"I did. I am sorry, I totally forgot." Rubbing her eyes, Sakura let her arms fall to her sides.

"I know, I am aware of that, which is why I am here and you are coming with me. You look horrible." Looking up at Mito, Sakura sighed again.

"But-" Mito rolled her eyes and grabbed Sakura's arm to pull her on her feet.

"Ama will take care of everything during your absence. It will be a short dinner. If you want, you can come back after. Now come with me, you need to change."

Sakura groaned again and followed the Uzumaki. She knew it was useless to try and get her way. She also had the same look Ino had on her face when she wanted her to go out. The look saying: You better come with me or else. Her tired body had some difficulties to keep up with Mito's fast pace, but she followed and did not complain. She knew better

Once they arrived to her house, Sakura entered and was surprised to see that a bath was ready for her to get in. Raising an eyebrow to the red haired woman, Sakura sighed when the only answer she got was a shrug.

"I need to listen to Tobirama and start locking my door more often..." Her mumble brought a smile on Mito's lips.

"Come on, stop being grumpy and get cleaned up. I brought something for you to change into."

Sakura climbed in the bath and leaned back, relaxing when the warm water worked on the tension in her muscles. Taking the time to scrub with some scented soap, she rinsed her body and washed her hair. Once done, she got out of the bath and put a robe on. She barely opened her bedroom door that Mito was entering, shoving a kimono in her hands. Sakura's eyes widened.

"No. uh uh. No kimono."

"Yes kimono, and you have five minutes to change or I'll help you myself."

Sakura stared at Mito incredulously and the staring contest started. Tired, Sakura giggled. Scratch that, Mito was worst than Ino ever was. Shooing the Uzumaki out of her bedroom, Sakura started to put on the kimono and smiled at the color. Emerald green with some pink floral patterns. So fitting. It looked like it was made for her. The thought made her frown. To tired to think about that, she turned around and gasped when seeing herself in the mirror.

"It's been five-" Mito was entering the bedroom but stopped at the sight in front of her. "Sakura, you are gorgeous!"

Blushing at the compliment, Sakura smiled. She never had anything this beautiful. The cut accentuated the curve of her waist and the color just made her eyes shine. She looked like a woman and felt like one. Not that she did not feel like one, but being in a man's world made her forget about her femininity sometimes... She wondered it Tobirama would appreciate. _Stop thinking about him._ Blushing even more, Sakura looked at Mito. The red haired could follow her train of thought and she laughed, taking some make up out. Smiling mischievously, Mito patted the bed where she sat.

"No. I am wearing the kimono, there is no way you put that thing on my face." Crossing her arms on her chest, Sakura looked away. Mito grabbed her hand and forcefully sat her on the bed.

"I swear, I will only put some of this black paste on your eyelashes to make them appear longer. That's it."

Black paste, equivalent of mascara in her time she guessed. Nodding her head, but still not convinced, she stilled for the Uzumaki to do her work. Looking back in the mirror once Mito was done, her eyes widened. The green of her eyes appeared to be a deeper shade of emerald and was a perfect match with the color of her kimono. Mito grabbed her hand, smiling while looking at her work.

"Now let's go. I am hungry and dinner is almost served."

* * *

The walk to the Senju compound was somewhat quiet and it made her frown. The street were empty and for some reason it looked weird. Thinking about it though, she realized that she was always in the hospital so she never really saw the streets at this time of the day... Getting closer to the compound, Mito let Sakura enter first and when she opened the door, she wished she had stayed home. Her eyes widened when about a hundred people screamed:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Sakura froze and did not know how to react. A fake smile found her face and she was thanking people as they greeted her. She had be so absorbed by her dream and everything else that she had forgotten about her birthday. It had been the only thing she thought about for the past month and today, she did not think about it at all. The attention was suffocating and made her claustrophobic a bit. A servant passed next to her with a tray containing cups of sake and she sighed in relief. Taking one, she gulped it down fast and took in a deep breath. They had been nice enough to organize something like this to her, the least she could do was to participate and try to enjoy. Seeing a flash of white in the back of the room, Sakura turned her head in this direction. Locking eyes with Tobirama over the crowd she gave him a smile and continued to answer questions and thank people.

Tobirama was not a fan of birthday parties and after hearing her the other night, he knew that a big celebration was not what she wanted, or needed for that matter. Still, no one listened to him when he had voiced some of his concerns. He had tried to talk his brother out of this idea the night before right after he left her place, but his reaction had been: "Brother you are worrying too much, everyone like surprise birthday celebration."

Seeing the distressed look she gave him at that moment and the crease between her eyebrow, he knew that she was not comfortable and he was no fool. He knew to well that the smile on her face was fake. He observed her going from one person to another, talking and grabbing some sake when servants were walking passed her and could not help but to feel sorry for her. She had told Madara about her birthday, probably hoping that the man would keep it for himself and here she was, surrounded by too many people, wanting to be anywhere but here...

* * *

After an hour, she finally thanked everyone and she was exhausted. Looking around, she had to admit that it was heartwarming to see both clans together, talking and laughing. She had been able to accomplish something great at least. But she really wanted to go back to her house and sleep right now. She was too far from the main door. Maybe she could go to the balcony and sneak out... Making her way to the other door to get some fresh air, she was stopped when Hashirama hooked his arm to hers and brought her to the middle of the room.

"It is time for the gifts!" Sakura shook her head

"No this is not necessary, I-" Cutting her, Hashirama laughed and squeezed her hand.

"Nonsense, it is your birthday."

Clenching her jaw, she tried to keep calm by breathing in deeply. Then it began. Each clan member Uchiha and Senju brought her a gift. There was a variety going from scrolls to dried herbs, to trinkets made by artisans. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Hashirama brought her his gift which was a nice little plant for her house, Mito gave her a medical scroll from her clan, Madara and Izuna gave her a nice katana with an engraved handle, and Tobirama... Tobirama was still standing in the corner of the room, not moving. She did not want any gifts, but had to admit that she was a bit disappointed, because, of all people, she expected him to... To what? She did not know. Thanking everyone, the celebration continued and the attention was not on her anymore when Hashirama brought out the honey wine. Waiting a bit, Sakura slipped outside when she determined that people drank enough to be oblivious if she left.

The Senju garden was amazing at this time of the year with all the blooming flowers. She took a deep breath and continued her walk for a moment until she found a large tree and hopped on one of the branch. Sitting comfortably, she let the cold night breeze caress her warm face. She was grateful for the celebration and the fact that they went through all this trouble for her, but it had been a lot to take in after the week she had. Leaning her head on the bark, she sighed, looking up at the stars. Relaxing for a few minutes, footsteps made her look down at the intruder.

Tobirama was looking up at her, the moon making him appear even more handsome. He was wearing a black kimono with dark blue accents. Not wearing his happuri, strands of white hair fell on his forehead, giving him a boyish look. His pale skin had a supernatural glow and her heart skipped a beat when she saw his soft look and the small smirk on his lips.

"May I join you?" Not able to talk at the moment, she just nodded rearranging her position on the branch. In a second, he was sitting next to her and quite close. She could feel the heat radiating form his body. Trying not to react to his proximity, Sakura continued to gaze at the stars. "Overwhelmed?"

Understanding his question she chuckled.

"Yes, you could say that. Is it that obvious?" His eyes never left hers and he nodded imperceptibly. "It was unexpected, to say the least." She looks down at her clasped hands sitting on her thighs.

"I told them that a small gathering would be better, but you know how Hashirama is by now." Their eyes meet and Sakura smiled at him. Her heart warmed up when she thought about the fact that he knew her better than she thought. Surprising man.

"I know, your brother is unstoppable once his mind is set on a project." A sigh escaped her lips. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture, I was just not… Ready for something like that, if you will. I am glad the clans are getting along though."

He chuckled silently and smiled at her. A real smile, again, the one that made her legs like jello. Good thing she was sitting. How was it possible that she had been on the receiving end of his smile twice in two days? Clearing her throat, she returned the smile and his breath caught in his throat. Recovering quickly, his eyes wandered to the night sky. Even in a situation like this, she though about the unity of the clans instead of her own well-being.

Sakura was curious as to why he was here with her...

"Why did _you _escape the celebration? Already bored?" Shaking his head, he took in a deep breath.

"I was looking for you, actually." Her heart was beating really fast. He was looking for her? Palms sweaty she rubbed them on her kimono and tried to swallow the knot in her throat. These words were not supposed to affect her the way they did right now.

Reaching inside his kimono, he grabbed a small package and taking her hand, he put it in her palm gently. A shaky breath left her lips at the feel of his calloused hands on hers. He got her a gift after all. He just waited to have some privacy to give it to her… Looking up in his eyes, she could not move, hypnotized. What brought her back to reality was him reaching placing a strand of hair behind her ear, touching her cheek slightly. Her body betrayed her for the second time and she leaned into his touch for a split second and his heart almost stopped when she did. Realizing what she was doing she cleared her throat and smiled, putting a bit of distance between them. Looking at the package in her hand a smile appeared on the corner of her lips when she saw the meticulous way it had been wrapped.

"You didn't have to..."

"I did, now open it."

Listening to him, she opened the package and taking the lid off the small box, gasped once she saw what was inside. It was a necklace. The fine silver chain was professionally crafted and so unique. On it was sitting a pink and red sakura flower shaped stone, with some emerald green patterns in the back. Picking it up, she held it in front of her. It was small, but so beautiful. Looking at her gift and then to Tobirama a few times, she did not know what to say.

"I-I… This is gorgeous!-" Seeing the happiness light up her face hit him right in the chest. With his warm hands, he took the necklace from hers and moving to sit behind her on the branch, he placed it around her neck and attached it. Leaning back slightly, without putting distance between them, he looked at her, wearing the necklace.

"Beautiful…" The whisper escaped him before he could stop himself. Bringing her hand to the flower she blushed.

Looking up at him, she could not breathe, think or even move. He was so close and his body was so warm. Feeling strong thighs on both side of hers. His scent was reaching her, making her thought process even harder. The relaxing smell of pine tree and rain. He kept looking at her with this indecipherable expression and she could only stare at him. Slowly, he reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, turning her head towards him. His other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He was so gentle that she relaxed in his hold. He was hypnotized by the picture of her, sitting there, looking like a goddess in her green kimono, her skin caressed by the moonlight, those deep green eyes... Caressing her lips with his thumb, Tobirama bent forward. Mesmerized, Sakura could not move. Was this really happening? And why did it feel so right? This. Them being so close and so intimate all of a sudden.

He knew he should probably stop. Something told him to, but his body was just drawn to her... since the morning they woke up together, he had the urge of holding her, of touching her skin... Maybe she did not want this, maybe she was not attracted to him? She could feel his warm breath so close to her lips and lost in the moment, she closed her eyes. Seeing this as a sign of consent, Tobirama came closer and barely brushed his lips on hers when Hahsirama tumbled out of the compound yelling.

"TOBIIIIII! Where are youuuuuu!" Cursing silently, Tobirama leaned back and cleared his throat, Sakura opened her eyes, slightly disappointed and somewhat surprised about the event. Seeing her disappointment plain as day felt like a punch in the guts.

Sakura sat there, not knowing what to do. Her desire burned painfully in her stomach. The kunoichi did not know what took over her, but seeing him looking at her with liquid fire in his eyes, she threw her prudence out of the window. For once, she would think about what _she_ wanted. She had lived for other people's happiness for way too long. _For once in my life, I will be selfish. Consequences be damned._

"He can wait.."

Not having the time to think about it more, she reached back to him and brought his face to hers, sealing her lips on his in a searing kiss. At first, he froze, but there was so much fervor in her kiss that his own flame took over and he forgot about his brother. Her lips were soft and sweet. He could taste the sake she drank earlier and it was intoxicating. She had been bold and he had to admit, he did not expect this... But he really enjoyed it. Feeling her hands playing with his hair, he pulled her close and tilted her head back to deepened the kiss. Even pressing her body against his, Tobirama felt like they could not get close enough. His lips left her mouth and tilting her head back a bit more, he left a trail of burning kisses on her neck. A moan escaped her and she tensed, embarrassed by the sound that left her throat. Tobirama raised his head and smiled at her softly, meeting her surprised green eyes before kissing her lips again.

"TOBIRAMAAAAAAAAA!"

Hearing his brother's voice getting closer, Tobirama pulled back and looked down at her. She looked gorgeous with her chest heaving, her bright eyes and her swollen lips. She looked so... inviting. The way she looked at him, like she wanted more made him bend closer to her for another kiss, but footsteps made him stop. With a frustrated groan he looked back to his brother's form coming closer to where they were. Glancing at her with eyes full of warmth, he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

"Happy birthday Sakura." Sakura shivered at his low and husky voice. Letting her hand go, he gave her a last smoldering look before to disappear and reappear in the garden next to his brother.

Sakura brought her hands to her lips and a dumb smile found her face. She could not believe what she did. She kissed him. Seeing his face when he pulled back awoke something primal in her... Leaning back in the tree, she sighed. _Maybe I should stop swimming against the current and see where the river brings me?_

* * *

_There you have it! Hope you enjoyed!_


	19. Chapter 19

Note: Since I made you wait 18 chapters for their first kiss, I decided to throw two chapters of fluff and smut at you! This is the first one, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 19

After her birthday celebration, time flew by so fast. Sakura came to the decision that she would let life work its way and not fight against it anymore. If she ended back in her time or staying here, so be it. After the kiss, she realized that she too could be happy even if it had never been what she expected from life. It had been quite a thought process but holding back and staying behind in this timeline too was not an option. She decided to live.

She still had those nightmares with Tsunade, but every single time when the last moments of the battle were playing, she had to turn her head away. She did not feel strong enough to live this moment again. Every time she did, Tsunade's disappointed voice was telling her that she had to look if she wanted to understand… But it was too much for her. Every morning, this nightmare was leaving her sitting in her bed, shaking. The was something about it… Something so real… Something that made her skin crawl. What could she learn from this battle that she did not already know?

Other than the dreams, life was good. The first thing the founders knew was that many other clans took an interest in the village and were asking to negotiate to be able to join Konoha. The negotiations with the Nara clan went smoothly but the Yamanaka and the Akimichi were giving some trouble to Madara and Hashirama so much that the Senju leader had to get Tobirama involved. Sakura had been quite disappointed not being able to spend more time with the young Senju, but he had been really busy picking up Hashirama's slack on village matters. If Hashirama was anything like Tsunade had been, she could totally understand the struggle. She had been the one in Tobirama's shoes quite a few times when Shizune was not there.

Even though the white-haired shinobi was not available as much, he always found a way to see her in a day. He was making a point to walk her to and from work as often as he could, bringing her lunch and talking with her, but was always called away and leaving her with an apologetic look. Sakura was cursing Hashirama and his inability to be serious for more than one minute when it came to village matters. Since her birthday, she was trying to figure out what was going on between them and not being able to spend more than ten minutes with the man did not help her predicament. She wanted to explore this options that life had shoved in her face, but to do that, she had to actually see the white haired shinobi. Tobirama had the task to find his brother since he could disappear during the day when important decisions needed to be taken. One day, she would have to find Hashirama and whoop is ass for being such a slacker.

Those negotiations were taking a toll on everyone's peace of mind and she could see it with the way Tobirama looked the past few days. When he was talking to her, the crease between his eyebrow told her that he was preoccupied with multiple things. He was tense and the appearance of dark circles under his eyes were a good indicator as to what his recent sleeping schedule looked like… Sakura knew that building a village was not easy, but seeing how taxing it could be was another story completely. It made her even more grateful for what she had growing up.

* * *

That morning, the young Senju had knocked on her door like he did most of the mornings when he had time to walk with her and she was out of the house in a second, closing the door behind her without locking it. About to make a comment on it, Tobirama just shook his head and matched his pace to hers. He knew better than to start an argument with her about that, especially knowing that she did not have any intention to change her habit.

Walking next to each other, their arms and fingers were brushing and the silence between them was comfortable. It was a thing he appreciated about her. The fact that she did not fear the silence. The opposite of his brother. Tobirama would have lied if he said that he was not walking her often to work to have stimulating conversations and comfortable silences. He was enjoying her company greatly and was definitely taking advantage of his free time to be with her when he could. He tried not to read too much into it, but after the kiss, it had been kind of hard. The rational part of his brain told him that she was a breath of fresh air compared to the two men he had to deal with on a daily basis. Thinking about the rest of his day, Tobirama frowned. A barely audible sigh left his lips and Sakura turned her head in his direction.

"Tobirama, are you well?" Like taken out of his thoughts, he stopped walking, looking at her with something akin to regret in his eyes. Worried she placed a reassuring hand on his forearm.

"I just want to apologize. I know I have not been of the best company these past two weeks." He paused, rubbing his tired eyes. "I just can't seem to see the end of those negotiations with the Yamanaka and Akimichi clan. Let's not mention my brother's ability to make things complicated... What a stupid idea to plan a wedding in the middle of all this."

A smile found her lips. She knew it was bothering him, but it was the first time he ever mentioned it and opened to her. And he was mistaken, he was of great company even if things were stressful. Even through his crazy schedule, he was making a detour and taking time to see her. That was enough for her. At first she did not even expect him to get out of his way to see her, but he did. She knew what it was like to be busy and barely have time to breathe. Trying to meet his eyes, she huffed a small laugh.

"Leave it to Hashirama to do something like that! Don't worry about me, I am doing just fine, and I understand how tedious this process can be." Seeing he was not convinced, Sakura reached up and touched the red marking in his cheek lightly with an amused look. "I get to see you almost every day, I cannot complain." He finally met her eyes, trying to read her. She shrugged and with a small smirk dropped her hand to her side. "Just know that I did not forget the dinner you promised…"

Taken aback for a moment, Tobirama watched her walk while trying to remember this promise. She saw him pondering things for a moment and he nodded, catching up to her and grabbing her hand in his. He continued walking towards the hospital without a word. Blush stained her cheeks. Since her birthday, they had been walking close but never had he held her hand. They did not talk about this birthday kiss either… They would at some point when things would be less hectic for sure. For now, she had to admit, the feel of his large hand holding hers was not unpleasant and the look of surprise on every single villager's face did not bother her at all… Ok. Maybe it did a little, but it was not bad.

When they arrived at the hospital he had yet to let go of her hand. Still in thought, Tobirama looked at her and stayed silent for a moment. His whole demeanor shifted, and she could see him standing straighter like he took a decision and was pleased by it. Eyes tracing her face, he tilted his head, messy white hair brushing his forehead in the process.

"Let's have dinner tonight." Wide eyes, Sakura froze. He was busy and tired... She only wanted to mess with him by reminding him of the dinner thing. Not push him to do it now.

"But you-"Cutting her he looked down at their joint hands.

"You are right, we have yet to have dinner together. Even with everything going on, I think it would be beneficial for the both of us to enjoy a relaxing evening."

Seeing his determined eyes, she laughed and nodded, knowing it would be useless to argue with the man. His gaze softened and Tobirama lifted her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. He left her a few second later, probably going to his brother's office.

Standing in front of the hospital, Sakura smiled. Tobirama did not like human contact, but he acted differently with her. He held her hand, kissed it. It meant a lot to her knowing how the he was. Breathing out slowly, Sakura entered the hospital with a slight bounce in her step. Today was going to be a good day!

* * *

Dinner had been in the back of Tobirama's mind for a few days, but he had been so busy that he never acted on it. With her mentioning it, he had to make a move. He liked her very much and walking her to work every day might not have been enough at some point. For god's sake, she deserved more than a daily walk with him. It was Sakura!

He would get out of his brother's office early today to get what he needed for dinner and would grab a good bottle of sake because he knew she could use a cup of it after work. Ghost of a smile on his lips, Tobirama worked and did as much as he could so no one would disturbed them later on. He also had some tasks related to his brother and Mito's wedding to accomplish. Because, yes, his brother had decided that organizing a wedding in the middle of negotiations was a good idea.

Tobirama had not seen his brother nor did he see Madara today, which was interesting considering everything that needed to be done… Shrugging, he continued to work and when he took care of the last of the paperwork, Tobirama got up and stretched, feeling the muscles in his back protest. The sun was slowly setting, which meant that Sakura was going to be done with work soon. Smiling, he turned to get out of the office, but Mito crashed into him, witnessing one of the rare smiles of Tobirama Senju. Seeing her unstable on her feet after the crash, helped stabilize her by grabbing her shoulders. That done, he realized he was still smiling so he tried to bring back his stoic face.

"Well, I did not think that taking care of your brother's business would make you this happy… Or is it something else?"

He bowed to her and met her eyes quickly, darting towards the door as nonchalantly as he could.

"I am sorry, I would love to stay and discuss with you, but I have places to be!" Putting his hand on the door handle, ready to leave he opened the door.

"You mean, you have a cherry blossom to see?" Tobirama froze and looking over his shoulder, he saw the teasing smile she was giving him.

"I heard rumors when I went to the hospital today, but do not worry, your secret is safe with me for the time being."

Giving her a grateful nod, Tobirama left. He really did not want to add to the humiliation and he had a dinner to plan.

* * *

It had not been a good day. Sakura's day had been hectic to say the least. Everyone had some kind of problems, some kids decided to play in the trees and broke a leg or an arm in the process, paperwork flooded her desk, patients had been rude, a Uchiha patient had been forward with her and she had to almost break his wandering hand, an emergency surgery came in right when she was about to leave so… She left work two hours later than she should have.

Leaving the doors of the hospital, she turned to the spot where Tobirama was waiting for her normally and was disappointed when realizing that he was not in his usual spot. Sakura sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. She could not blame him, he probably got tired to wait for her. She knew he was not the most patient man…

With a feeling of sadness looming over her, Sakura started to walk back home. She thought back to her interaction with the Uchiha patient. He had asked her a few personal questions like if she was single among other things. When she answered that it was none of his business, the man huffed and spat something about those damn Senjus keeping the women to themselves. He then started saying that she could know what a real man was if she gave him a chance. The thing that made the situation worse was when the Uchiha tried to grab her butt multiple times. Not being in a great mood already, she had lost her patience and almost broke his hand. For god's sake, she was not an object to own and touch whenever it was convenient!

During the day, she had seen Izuna and old him about her encounter with the Uchiha. He had been mortified with the actions of the clansman and promised her he would take care of it, which made her happier. If nothing changed, she would definitely mention it to Madara, but for now with everything going on, she knew the man did not have the time for such trivial matters. But for heaven's sake, someone needed to teach this man how to treat a woman! Rolling her eyes, she realized that she was almost home.

The walk was short and uneventful and once she was on the porch, she felt a small wind gust on the back of her head. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Tobirama appear behind her with two grocery bags. Her heart warmed at the sight. He was not taking her out to dinner, he was bringing dinner to her, and this was making her really happy because there was no way she would get out of her house tonight. She would get comfortable and relax at home. With him.

Taking in her tired appearance, Tobirama took a step forward. He saw how her face lit up when she saw him and felt sorry because he knew she probably waited for him or at least thought he would not show. Trying to justify himself, he settled with:

"I got caught up at the market." Which was true. He got caught up at the market because his brother finally appeared out of nowhere and asked him millions of questions about the paperwork her did that day. Tobirama had answered them all and made a point to let him know that he would take a night to relax and do his thing since he had been the one cooped up in the office, covering for them. Hashirama being oblivious agreed and went on his way, not asking what his plans were.

He got snapped out of his thoughts when Sakura smiled at him and opened the door. With a small wave of her hand, she invited him in. Taking the invitation, he walked in, dropping the bags on the table. Sakura was really curious about whatever was in those bags, but smelling the antiseptic on her clothes, she decided to go and change before doing anything. She started to walk over her to her bedroom.

"I'll be back in a second, I need to change." Nodding, Tobirama went back to his grocery bags.

* * *

Tobirama had a triumphant smirk plastered on his face as soon as her bedroom door closed behind her. He knew she would be tired and thought that she would rather stay home and cozy. He was not a fan of eating somewhere else and was happy to be able to cook for her. Dinner would be simple. He had chicken, rice, and vegetables, but the secret for a delicious and simple recipe was the flavor.

Getting to the kitchen, he took everything he need out of the cupboard and prepared the chicken, seasoning it. Grabbing another knife, he took some of the veggies he had and started to chop them with a regular pace. When she came out of her bedroom, she stopped, bemused. Seeing her frozen into place, he turned to look at her, raised eyebrow. Shaking her head, she pointed at the food he was preparing on the counter.

"I did not know you could cook."

"Have you ever bothered to ask if I could?" She shrugged and had a tired laugh.

"I supposed I never did…"

He looked at her for a moment, appreciating her change of clothes. She was wearing his pants with a sleeveless shirt clinging to her curves. Remembering those same curves close to his body a few weeks ago, he continued to cook, chasing the image and feeling from his thoughts. She was gorgeous. In a kimono, in a battle worn outfit, in his pants…

Sakura was looking at him cutting the vegetable with precision and ease. He was moving in her kitchen like he belonged in it. Getting closer, she jumped and sat on the counter next him to see what he was doing. Observing over his shoulder like this, she considered herself lucky. He was so much more than a man whose face was carved in a rock and she appreciate to see this side of him. This domestic side.

* * *

Tobirama was cooking, aware of her eyes on him, her breath near his face and he would have lied if he said the he did not enjoy this. In that moment, he felt at home. Such a foreign feeling, long forgotten. It was hard to explain, but he did. He dropped the chicken in the pan with some spices and soon a delicious aroma surrounded them. Sakura's stomach growled loudly, and he stopped what he was doing to look at her pointedly. Seeing a blush creeping on her face, he could not help but have a small chuckle laced with amusement.

"It's not funny, I had a busy day and barely had time to eat anything… And this smell so good. What did you season the chicken with?" Shrugging he faced her.

"Some spices." Unimpressed with his answer, she raised an eyebrow but he did not answer her question, enjoying the way her lips pursed when she pouted.

Smiling, he walked back to the bag that was on the table and grabbed the bottle of sake. Getting back in the kitchen he grabbed a cup and poured it in. He then approached her and stood in front of her while she was still sitting on the counter, her legs on both sides of his. She could feel his hip brushing against the inside of her thigh. The contact made a dangerous warmth course through his body.

He was tall. Even if she was sitting on the counter, he had was a head, almost two, taller than she was. Leaning her head back to better look at him, she gulped under the intense look of his eyes. Still staring at her, he gave her the cup and she smiled at the familiar smell. Sakura brought it to her lips and drank a sip. His eyes were following her movement, lingering on her lips… She expected him to go back to his cooking, but he just stayed there, towering over her, crushing her with his presence. Not that she minded. It was… Exciting. After her second sip, she looked up at him.

"You don't want any?" Tobirama shook his head, not trusting his voice, and she raised the cup closer to him. "Not even a sip? You look like you need it as much as I do."

Getting even closer to her, she could feel the heat radiating from his well sculpted chest and a strand of white hair tickling her forehead. She held her breath when he grabbed the cup and took a sip, never leaving her eyes. The way he had done it made a pool or warmth flood her belly. Smoldering red eyes were leaving flames on her skin. Gulping, Sakura blushed a deep shade of red. How could this simple action, make her feel that way?

Tobirama put the cup back in her hand, making sure to let his touch linger on her small hand. Staring at her through half closed eyes, a ghost of a smile on his lips, he looked like he saw something he wanted to see. Placing a strand of pink hair behind her ear, he took a step back and went back to the stove, leaving a struggling Sakura behind him.

Sakura let out the breath she had been holding and wide eyes, stared at his back… His amazing back. This should not have turned her on like it did… But it did. Taking a few calming breaths, she jumped off the counter and busied herself. Getting plates out she placed them next to him without noticing the glance he threw at her.

Observing her, Tobirama smiled to himself, she still had a remnant blush on her cheeks, and he knew exactly where her thoughts had been wandering… Because his thoughts went there too many times in the past weeks. It would have been so easy to bend down and kiss her that moment, but he enjoyed the reactions he could get out of her. She was so receptive to his small attentions and it gave him the answer to some of the questions he had for a while. Was she attracted to him? Was she open to see where this thing between them could go? The way she was reacting to his proximity and his touch gave him a pretty good idea of the answer and it was reassuring in a way. He wanted to make sure that the kiss they shared on her birthday was not something that happened in the heat of the moment and something she would regret later. Her reaction to his proximity just now proved him that she probably did not regret it.

Taking the chicken out of the pan, he put the food in the plates and prepared some tea quickly. Bringing the food at the table, he placed a plate in front of her.

Sakura was looking at the colorful meal in front of her and with a quick "Thank you for the food", attacked the meal. When she ate the first bite of chicken, the flavors just exploded in her mouth. It was delicious and probably in the top three of the greatest meals she had even eaten. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed each flavor and a delighted moan escaped her.

"This is so good." Her voice sounded breathless and Tobirama froze for a second.

The pure bliss stamped on her face, her closed eyes, her voice and the moan that came out of her had been so sensual that his brain found the gutter really quickly. He tried to swallow the bite of food in his mouth but choked on it. Coughing silently not to alarm her, he finally swallowed it. Yep, his thoughts had been there way too many times and would probably go back there even more after that sound!

She had reopened her eyes and looked like she appreciated the food. He tried not to, but it was so hard. For the rest of the meal, he could only focus on her mouth when she was eating. Her soft lips… The way she would sink her teeth in the wood of the chopstick… Tobirama was hot and needed to change his train of thought before to do something stupid… Drinking a sip of tea, he met her eyes.

"Tell me more about you."

About to bring another piece of chicken to her mouth, she paused.

"Me?" His small nod made her put her chicken back in her plate. "There is not much to say about me… Nothing that you don't already know. I am a medic, was in a team with two prodigies, I went to war-"

Reaching into her plate, he stole a piece of chicken and cut her gently.

"No, I want to know about you, your family… What made you want to become a medic in the first place?"

Sakura stared at him for a second and then nodded. Her eyes were guarded, but realizing who she was talking to, she relaxed slightly.

"You see, no one ever asked me this question. People were always asking me how it was to be on a team with Naruto and Sasuke and how it was to have the mentor I had…"

Tobirama understood a few things in this statement. People did not really care about how great she was or what she could do. They only cared about how it was to be placed in the same team as two powerful shinobi. The other thing he picked up is that people were considering her lucky to work with her mentor and did not take into consideration that she had been great and strong enough to work with her in the first place. It probably had been something bothersome growing up without having any sort of recognition. He was about to change subject not to make her feel more uncomfortable than she already was, but she surprised him.

"So, how should I begin…"

She gave him a general story about her family and where they were from, how it was growing up with them and how they had been disappointed the first time she told them that she wanted to become a ninja. She then told him that they got used to the idea and her dad went with her to buy her first set of kunai. She told him the story of their first mission in the where they fought against a powerful ninja but never disclosed the location. She knew that it would give her secret away so stayed as vague as she could with names and places. She already talked to him about Sasuke back when she first arrived to the Senju camp, but she explained to him her childhood crush and how stupid she had been. How she realized that it had never been love to begin with. She told him Sasuke's story and explained how he left the village at some point becoming a rogue nin. How they tried to recover him a few time… How her other teammate left to train under a sage. The way her sensei basically abandoned her and never really trained her to begin with. How she tried to kill Sasuke on her own, but miserably failed. The war and the role she played in it…

Tobirama remembered their conversation a few months back and knew that the teammate she had a crush on was the one who told her that she was weak and annoying. Knowing everything that happened to her, puzzle pieces were coming together, and he was in awe. She was strong. So strong. Everyone leaving her probably did not help her feeling good about herself. Coming back to the few failed retrieval missions to get him back and she paused.

"I guess you could say that I became who I am because of him."

Hearing that, Tobirama froze. Him. The man who had been horrible with her. This Sasuke person. There was no way in the world that this man could take the credit for her hard work. Seeing Tobirama's face, Sakura could follow his train of thoughts. She reached across the table and grabbed his wrist.

"I do not give him the credit for everything I became. I am just saying that without him leaving, I would have never tried to become stronger." She met his eyes with her emeralds, and he could not look away. He could see so much determination and confidence in her eyes that his frustration died. She knew her worth. Leaning back, she let out a breath and tilted her head. "I felt so powerless and was so sick and tired to be in their shadow that it gave me the motivation I needed to show them that I could be their equal." She had a laugh. "Tsunade was quite the mentor and her training were difficult, some would say it was insanity, but I would do it again in a heartbeat."

She paused for a moment, staring at their hands and Tobirama watched her, wondering what was going on in her head.

"See, I am glad I became who I am today and after the war, I felt like I was finally their equal. Not that it mattered that much since they both died… But to answer your question, the reason why I am doing what I do right now is because I like to think that I am making a difference. That, by saving lives, I am keeping families together, letting children grow up with their parents… The war just put things into perspective for me." Focusing on him, his heart skipped a beat with the intense emotion contained in her eyes. "We tend to take things for granted way too often. For me, that was a wake-up call and I realized that there is nothing more valuable than a life, no matter whose life it is."

Tobirama was speechless. Being able to understand where she was coming from and why she was so animate about saving lives was more than he could have ever asked for. Seeing how she still had hope for everyone even after everything she had been through was humbling. He had been surprised to hear the words flow out of her mouth with such ease. After the tantrum she threw in the past, he thought that he would have had to abandon the subject, but she had willingly opened up to him. Not to Madara. To him, Tobirama Senju. For her to trust him with this sensitive part of her life was bringing him joy.

Finally looking away after Tobirama's silence, Sakura felt ashamed. It had been so easy to talk to him and to explain him why she was that way. She did not mean to drop all of that on him tonight. But, he was looking at her with so much affection and warmth in his eyes that it was making her a tad emotional. This look was one that she never thought she would see directed to her. It was the one she had once hoped Sasuke to have when he looked her way. Right now, this same look was on the Nidaime's face, and it made her feel appreciated and understood. She also never thought that the man was able to express feelings like those considering his stoic reputation. The silence stretched and started to make her feel uncomfortable. Fidgeting, she had a nervous laugh. She probably had said to much.

"Sorry if I talked too much, it is kind of a long and complicated story…"

"Not at all. Thank you for telling me, I appreciate it." Smiling to her, Tobirama picked up the plates and cups and made his way back to the kitchen. After this talk, he understood if she needed some space to take a moment to breathe. So, he started to wash the dishes.

To his surprise, Sakura joined him and started to dry the plates. Their elbows brushed a few times and she met his eyes again to see the same warmth. Smiling up at him, she playfully pushed him with her hip. His laugh reverberated in his chest and it was something amazing to hear. For a few minutes, they took care of the dishes and at some point, she grabbed the last item to dry and paused.

"Now it's your turn. What made you… You?" Another laugh left his lips and crossing his arms on his broad chest, he leaned his hip on the counter.

"Can you be more precise?"

"How did you become the man you are? What is _your_ story?" Putting the last item away, Sakura wiped her hands and turned back to face him.

"My story isn't very different from everyone else's in this village." Seeing her raised eyebrow, he smirked. That was not the answer she wanted.

"Tobirama, I told you my story, you have to tell me yours." Smirking she tried her luck, knowing how proud of his manners he was. "A gentleman would share his story after-." The rest of her words died in her throat.

He looked at her, serious, and walked with a predatory grin on his face. She backed up until her lower back hit the counter. Trapping her, he placed his hands on the counter on each side of her body. Approaching his face close to hers, she could feel his warm breath brushing her face and see the different shades of red in his iris.

"I don't know how I feel about you criticizing my manners ever since we met…" His low voice made a shiver run down her spine and he could see the goosebumps on her bare arms. There was something electric between their body and she felt drawn to him. His scent was around them, covering them like a blanket and she wished she could bottle that smell. Bending closer, he brought his mouth to her ear and she could feel his breath brushing her shoulder. Her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

"I am a gentleman. You'll notice when I am not." His lips brushed the pulsing point on her neck, and she closed her eyes at the sensation. Her breath caught in her throat. His words troubled her. What did he mean by that? _You know what he meant Sakura…_ At the moment she just wished he would kiss her like he did at her birthday, but he slowly withdrawn and took a step back, leaving her to catch her breath but still looking at her with burning eyes.

Tobirama knew that his words hit home by seeing the look on her face. Desire barely veiled in the depth of her emeralds. His body reacted to hers so easily that he cursed at his stupidity. He had to stop teasing her, because he ended up torturing himself even more in the process. Grabbing her hand, he walked to the back of the house, sitting on the stairs of the back porch. Sakura was still processing the thing that just happened and was following him silently.

"I can tell you the big lines of it." Still in her head, she snapped out of it when she heard his voice, then she realized they were sitting on the stairs outside. _Wow, good situational awareness Sakura, what a great kunoichi you are!_

"Of what?" Remembering what they were talking about before that, Sakura shook her head and focused on the man. "Oh! I would like that." Settling more comfortably next to him, she put her elbow on her knee, leaning her head on her palm.

He went ahead and talked about his childhood, the death of his brothers, his father's character and the harsh way they were raised, this constant war, how he killed his first opponent when he was only six years old, the moment he found out about Hashirama and Madara's meetings, how his father died and Hashirama took the position as leader. He then talked about some jutsus he was working on and it made her smiles since she already knew a couple of them and how they would be taught in the future ninja academy. Realizing something she sent a questioning glance his way.

"How was your mother? You did not mention her…"

After her mentioning this subject, his look became far away, like he was in another world. Tobirama never talked about his mother because even after all these years, he missed her. He knew that his father should have treated her better and taken care of her more than he did, but he focused on a silly war instead. This subject made him feel vulnerable. Hell, Hashirama and him barely talked about her. It was an unspoken agreement between them. He almost did not answer but after everything Sakura had shared with him, he felt like he had to. And he wanted to. To keep her memory alive… and because he was telling this to Sakura. Tobirama felt a wall inside of him crumble.

"My mother was a great woman. She was beautiful, caring, and knowledgeable. Always there for everyone, standing up to my father when he was being unreasonable, she had quite a temperament. She was the one who had this idea of forming an alliance with the Uchiha."

"What happened to her?" Tobirama frowned and gave her a side glance.

"She died when we were quite young. Her health had always been fragile." Sakura nodded and kept silent, knowing he had more to say. "I wish she could see what we accomplished… What you helped us accomplish" He paused for a moment, wondering if he should tell her and decided to do it, ghost of a smile on his lips. "She would definitely like you."

A blush stained Sakura's cheeks. This was unexpected.

"Why?"

"Because you are not afraid to tell me off." She pushed him playfully and he huffed. A laugh bubbled in her throat and Sakura could not stop it. Smiling in her direction, Tobirama reached out and put a strand of pink hair behind her ear. Her laugh stopped, but she looked at him, amused.

"Someone needs to do it." Her voice was teasing. Tobirama glanced at her with indecipherable look in his eyes and hummed. Leaning back on the stair, Sakura looked up at the stars and took in a deep breath. She was relaxing and it felt good.

"Thank you for this. For cooking and all… I really appreciate it."

"You are very welcome…"

Tobirama grabbed her hand in his and they both looked at the night sky together in silence. He was of great company and she had was amazed by him. By the man he had been able to be considering everything he had been through. Unconsciously, Sakura started to trace circles on his wrist with her thumb. This small touch made his heart flutter. He hated physical contact but with her it was never enough.

Summer was coming, but the nights were still quite chilly. Sakura shivered when a gust of wind blew around them. Letting go of her hand, Tobirama wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his body. Sakura ended up happily tucked on his side. Smiling, she looked up at him and when she did, the stars were shining in her eyes. Seeing her there, peaceful, and happy, Tobirama only wanted the time to stop. Bringing his head closer, he rested his forehead on hers, lips an inch apart. Closing her eyes, she sucked in a breath when his hand touched the skin of her waist where her shirt had ridden up. Closing the distance, Tobirama brushed his lips delicately on hers. This kiss had nothing to do with the one they shared a few weeks ago. This one was soft, unhurried. Her hand found his neck and she enjoyed the feel of his warm body close to her. His mouth was moving on hers, exploring, but not overwhelming.

After a moment, he pulled back, staring her in the eyes and with a small and happy smile, he kissed the diamond on her forehead before to tuck her back on his side.

This had been far from what she had expected tonight. This dinner had been amazing. She felt cared for. He was attentive to her when she talked, was interested in what made her the person she was today, and he even initiated a few intimate contacts but was never overstepping boundaries. She could not deny that she felt something for the man. Being with him felt like a breath of fresh air after being under water for so long. And the fact that his stoic face melted into a smile multiple times when he was with her was giving away the fact that he too appreciated her company. Just one dinner and they had gotten so close.

They stayed like this for a while, and at some point, Tobirama saw her head drop on his shoulder and felt her slow and steady breathing. She fell asleep. Frowning, Tobirama realized that she had looked quite tired the past week. Was she doing ok? Grabbing her shoulder, he gently shook her.

"Sakura, I think it's time for me to go." Tired eyes looked up in his and she nodded. Getting up slowly, she stretched as he stood up next to her. Putting his hand on the small of her back he helped her to go back inside. She walked him to the front door and had to admit the truth, she did not want him to leave… Grabbing her face between his hands, he bent down and gave her a chaste kiss.

"I will see you tomorrow morning..." Nodding she watched him get out of her house, turning back to see her before to do the familiar hand signs and disappear into the night.

* * *

Closing the door behind her, Sakura had a dreamy smile on her lips. In all the time she had been here, she could have never guessed she would have been here, in her village, kissing the Nidaime. He had been acting so differently with her recently. He was testing her and her ability to resist to his closeness… and it was exciting. It was so crazy, but she felt good about it for some reason. This dinner was nice and all and she had been surprised that he opened to her like he did… He trusted her and did not fear to be vulnerable with her and it transpired in the kiss he gave her outside… On her side, she had been quite honest about her past. Not totally, but mostly. Thinking about it, a nagging feeling found her stomach. She would have to tell him the truth about her past. The whole truth. But not now… With everything going on, she felt like it was not the right time. _Is there really going to have a right time for that?_


	20. Chapter 20

Note: But who is she?! Two chapters in a day? Yes. Because I worked on them and I did not want to make you wait. This might not happen often, but when I can, I'll try to post more often for sure. Also, you guys are awesome, so I won't let you wait another week and a half for that one! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

***Some offensive language in this chapter. Not much, but sill there. Just warning ya!

* * *

Chapter 20

Sakura had a hard time falling asleep the previous night and having only two hours of sleep did not help her current mood. Her night had been cut short when the nightmare resurfaced, leaving her shaking in bed, yet again. This time though, there was something different. Something that she had not seen before, but she could not pin point what it was. She had looked at the battle for a bit longer before to turn her head and avoid the rest of it. The rest of the night, she tried to make sense out of her dream, but it left her more exhausted than anything else. It was still dark when she walked to the hospital. Ama was behind the counter.

"Sakura-sama, what are you doing here this early, are you ok?"

"Yes, I am fine." Ama looked like she wanted to ask something. "What is it?"

"Izuna-kun told me that I should ask, but I knew how busy you were and-" seeing Sakura's eyes telling her to get on with it, Ama straighten her back and let a deep breath out. "I was wondering if you could teach me advanced medical ninjutsu. I promise I will train hard and work to deserve this training and-"

"Yes."

"I can do more hours if you need me to and-" Realizing the answer, Ama's face broke in a wide smile. "Really?" Sakura nodded and Ama jumped on her side of the counter, hugging the pink haired medic in a tight embrace. "Thank you so much!"

Feeling awkward, Sakura gently patted her back and pushed the Senju woman away from her body. Clearing her throat, she regained her serious expression.

"We can start tomorrow, but for now I need a favor." Ama's attention was back on her. "Can you please take care of the hospital today? I need to rest. Just come and get me if there is no other choice." Taking in Sakura's general appearance, Ama understood that she needed a well-deserved break. Bowing to her, she straightened back up with a fierce expression on her face.

"Hai Sakura-sama!"

That being done, Sakura left the hospital and went back to her home. She needed to relax and figure some things out. Closing the door behind her, she sat at her table. Her mind wandered back to the night prior. She had such a great time with Tobirama. But part of her could not feel happy yet since this nightmare was coming to haunt her every single day. It was like a presence always looming over her, waiting for her to put her guard down…

What did she remember from it. What was different? Was it they key explaining to her why she had been launched in the past? What was she missing? Grabbing her head between her hands, she sighed. She would have to face the whole nightmare once and for all but was definitely not ready to do so.

A knock on the door startled her and she realized she hadn't move in hours. Feeling the familiar chakra, she mumbled a "come in". The door opened and a hesitant Tobirama dressed in his armor and hapuri walked in. Taking in the sight in front of him he tilted his head. She was still wearing her comfortable clothes and was not ready for work. She looked defeated by something and it worried him that not once had she looked at him since he entered. How long had she been there? Approaching her, like he would a wounded animal, he crouched next to her and placed his forearms on the table, leaning his head on them.

"Sakura?"

Hearing his voice so close to her, she let go of her head and met his eyes, realizing that his face was a small distance from hers.

She looked tired. Had she even slept since he left her last night? He had doubts about that... Observing her longer, he could not figure out what was going on. She finally broke the silence, still looking at the table, frowning.

"I think I'll stay home today." Her eyes drifted to the window and he saw her jaw clench. There was an unrest in her chakra and he could feel it. When was the last time she had let some of her frustration out? He hated to admit it, but he was going to borrow a page from Madara's book since it looked like it was working pretty well on the kunoichi.

"No, you are coming with me." Snapping her head back to him, she was about to protest, and he shook his head, continuing: "Something is on your mind and by thinking too much about it, you won't find any answers. You need a new perspective on whatever is bothering you." She huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Your perspective?"

"Not mine. Yours. When you let all this frustration out of your system." By being distracted, she would be able to face the problem with another angle, and maybe it would help her in the end. That was his main thought.

"I am not fru-" Not letting her the time to finish, Tobirama grabbed her arm and pulled her on her feet.

"Now go change and get your weapons, I am bringing you out for a spar." There was no question, this was a statement. Not wanting him to drag her out in her night clothes she stared at him, not happy at all.

She did not know what was more frustrating at the moment. Her nightmare or the fact that he had been able to read her so easily. Huffing again, she sent a glare his way and went in her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"No, not frustrated at all…" He thought he mumbled it low enough for her not to hear, but the door opened violently, and a shuriken flew his way. Avoiding it, it embedded itself deeply in the wall behind him. Crossing his arms on his chest, Tobirama had a small smile. "You are just proving my point."

* * *

A few minutes later, Sakura and Tobirama were on their way to a training ground. The farthest one since he knew about her destructive tendencies. Turning in one of the street, Tobirama saw his brother's back. He could hear him asking some clansmen if they had seen him. Stopping dead in his tracks, Tobirama grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her in a corner where his brother could not see him if he turned in his direction. Raising an eyebrow, Sakura sighed. Peeking his head out, Tobirama saw that his brother was not there anymore. Without answering her silent question, he dragged her behind him from street to street, running at a fast pace, hiding, and avoiding Hashirama. They finally made it under the safe covers of the trees when Sakura ripped her arm from his grasp and groaned.

"What are you doing? Why not simply telling him that we are going on a spar?" Shaking his head, he frowned.

"Because he is going to try to talk me into going to the office and leave me there all day to do _his_ work." A laugh bubbled in her throat and her eyes softened. Of course, the white haired Senju could not say no to his brother… Seeing her relax made him feel better, even if she was laughing at him. Once her hilarity melted away they silently continued their way to the field.

Once they reach the training ground, Tobirama saw the medium sized river at the end of it. It would be an interesting spar.

They started with a light taijutsu match. His goal was to change her mind for the time being and for him to do that, he would have to up the tempo. Using his hirashin and marked kunai, he disappeared and reappeared behind her. She saw him just in time to dodge his fist. She tried to send a kick his way but disappearing again, she missed, tumbling forward. Using the same trick over and over again on her, she grew impatient. She could not land a hit on the man.

Training with Tsunade, Sakura had learned how to dodge almost any attack coming her way, so she did not have any problem avoiding his blows, but the frustration of not being able to touch him really made her angry. She now wanted to spar. She _needed_ to hit something and right now, he was making it impossible for her to do just that. Tired of his games, she stopped moving and stood still. A rush of air on her back alerted her that he was standing behind her. She tried to appear as relaxed as she could. Feeling his body heat through her tank top, she sucked in a breath when he whispered so close to her ear.

"Tired already?" The teasing tone was enough for her frustration to come back tenfold. With his guard down, he did not see the kick coming. Her foot collided with his sternum and pushing with a bit of chakra enhanced strength, she kicked him across the clearing and he landed on the river. Taking in a deep breath, a smile tugged on her lips. _That felt good… And he deserved it._

Getting up on the water by balancing the chakra on his feet, he rubbed his chest, wincing. It had been painful, unexpected, and he did not want to know how it would have felt without his armor…

Walking slowly, Sakura got closer to him and she smiled, cocking her head on the side.

"Tired already?" The way she used his words made him roll his eyes.

"You wish." She laughed at his reply and joined him on the river. Now the spar was fun. Using his jutsus against her, he tried to destabilize her with a water dragon jutsu, but she avoided it, trying to attack him in his blind spot during the attack with her weapons. Throwing his marked kunai at the last moment, he transported away, her kunai barely missing him. Their spar continued for a while and they ended up facing each other on the river, soaked to the bone and panting. He loved how she could keep up with him. It was quite exciting.

A ray of sun broke through the cloud and Sakura got distracted by the way the light was shining on him. The water dripping from him looked like diamonds… And this is when he poofed away and disappeared. She cursed under her breath. She had been staring at a clone this whole time? Suddenly, she felt a hand on her ankle trying to drag her in.

Tobirama smirked under the water… He had her. But then, her body disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms. His crimson eyes widened. How was she able to do his jutsu? He felt the cold blade of a kunai against his throat and went back to the surface, she followed him. She had been able to take him by surprise. Pulling her kunai away from his throat, she focused her attention back on him. He was looking at her strangely, which brought this nagging feeling in her stomach.

"Tell me, how did you know this jutsu." He was cautious and watching her intently. Sakura cursed at her luck. She forgot that he had invented it and that he probably had not showed it to anyone yet. Thinking on her toes, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"I saw you practice it and decided to figure is out and learn it by myself. It is a great justu, I must admit." Her answer sounded true and knowing her strength, it made sense. A small doubt lingered in his mind, but he put it away, smiling at her.

"Impressive…"

She blushed under the compliment, but she knew very well that she did not really deserve it.

Still in the river, Tobirama started to feel the heaviness of his armor. Without any care, he unclasped the leather straps and threw it on the riverbank, hapuri following right after. Sakura stared at him. He had a boyish look when he was soaked, his white hair peaking in all the directions… and his shirt was clinging to his muscles. Again, on the list of things she never thought she would do in her life, being in the river with the Nidaime was added.

Suddenly, he disappeared under the water and reappeared close to her, hair stuck on his forehead, drops of water dripping from his long eyelashes. _This man is too handsome, it should be illegal._ She smiled and could not help the laugh bubbling in her throat. This situation was out of the ordinary… and she was strangely happy to be there. Thinking about Konoha of her time, she wondered if she would have been able to feel such happiness after everything. Probably not.

On his part, Tobirama could only stare at her. The sound of her laugh brought him so much joy and he was happy to know that he had been able to make her feel better. Forgetting everything else, Tobirama got even closer, face an inch from hers. She stopped laughing but she still had a glimmer of pure happiness in her eyes. For what felt like an hour, both were staring at each other in a perfect moment.

His eyes were not guarded, and she was in awe. To see him trusting her so much and to see the affection deep in his crimson eyes, there was something almost magical to it. Feeling his warm breath on her face, a shiver ran through her. Sakura brought her hand to his face and traced the red markings on his cheeks. Grazing his lips with her index, she proceeded to trace the one on his chin. Her breath caught in her throat when he kissed her fingers. Looking back at him, she saw his wolfish grin too late.

Suddenly, she felt two strong arms crushing her in an embrace and dragging her under water.

"Tobiram-" She did not have the time to say his name that he brought her under water with him. Able to move freely when his grip loosened, she wrapped her arms around his neck to stabilize her position. It was so calm and peaceful around them.

She looked amazing, hair floating like a soft halo around her head. Tobirama leaned in and slowly kissed her under water. Needing air soon after, they resurfaced, and she looks at him confused. Did he assume that she wanted him to kiss her? Yes. Was it a mistake? He did not know. He should have asked… With an apologetic look, he started:

"I'm sorr-" Sakura closed the distance between them and grabbing the back of his neck, pulled him to her, crushing her mouth on his.

A groan escaped him under the assault of her lips. He could get used to this habit of hers… His arms snaked around her, hand wrapping in her hair and the other pulling her body flush to his. The feeling of the water rushing past them was intoxicating. Wild. Tobirama let her control the kiss for a few minutes, enjoying the sweet taste that was unique to her. At some point, he could not take it anymore. Tilting her head back to have better access, he nipped at her bottom lip. She gasped at the small pain and he took the opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue. Sakura never shared a kiss this good. He was soft yet demanding, exploring every inches of her mouth. His hand slid on her bare back under her shirt and it felt so warm compared to the temperature of the water… This simple touch sends electricity through her whole system.

Sliding his hand on the back of her thigh, he pulled her up and Sakura automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. She held on his shoulder; other hand tangled in the messy white hair. The kiss deepened and they were both clinging to each other, which made her shudder against him. She could feel the muscles of his arms flexing against her back, his solid torso against her breast. Moving her hips upward to keep her balance, a pleasured moan escaped her when her core rubbed against the bulge in his pants and her head fell backward, giving him access to her neck. The same contact happened again, she heard him hissed in her ear, bringing his mouth back to hers, their kiss became wild. With this simple friction, a line had been crossed and they could not care less, lost in the moment.

It was crazy for her to know that she could have this effect on a man. But she did. And he had this effect on her too. When he was touching her, kissing her, she could not remember where she was of even who she was. She could only feel. What would it feel to let him touch her in a way that no other man ever did? To go through it completely. Was she ready for this? She barely knew the man._ But it feels so right…_

Her thought process got sidetracked when he pulled his face way, leaving open mouthed kisses along her jaw, her neck, lower to her clavicle nipping as he went and soothing the bite with his tongue. Her back arched against him, the movement grinding their hips together again. She felt the breath hitch in his throat and his arms tensed around her. It felt so good…. Kissing lower, he was about to reach her breasts but stopped, looking around them. A disappointed moan escaped her, and she gave him a questioning glance. With fast movement, still holding her, he threw his armor behind some bushes and silently carried her behind one of the bigger rocks. She was about to talk but was interrupted when his finger landed on her mouth. Listening, she heard Madara and Hashirama not to far from where they had been.

"Someone told me they would be here…"

"They probably left to the hospital together, let's go back Hashirama."

"You're right."

Hearing their voices fade in the distance, Tobirama removed his finger from her lips. She slowly let out a shaky breath and detangled herself from his body, blushing furiously. She could not believe that they almost had been caught by the two leaders. Caught doing what? What were they? Thoughts spinning in her head, she followed him back to the riverbank and out of the water. Seeing that he would not talk yet, Sakura rubbed her hands on her arms and tried a laugh.

"That was close." Her shy voice echoed around them, but the man did not look at her, nor did he answer.

It had been close. If somehow his brother did not appear, he would not have been able to stop what they were doing and for some reason, it worried him. He was ashamed. He was supposed to be the one with the best self-control. He was the cold headed one. This behavior was not like him. Did he enjoy it? Yes, most definitely. Would it have been a good thing to go through with this? No. There was a simple reason for this: she deserved to be courted, not to be jumped in a river. But was he ready to court anyone?

Sakura could see his frown and his closed expression. Was she that bad of a kisser for him to react in such way? Did he not enjoy this? Judging by the groans and heated kisses he had been giving her, she thought she had been doing just fine. So what was it?

Getting out of his thoughts, Tobirama saw the glint of hurt in her eyes. Not one to be good with words when it came to reassurance, he walked to her, grabbed her face until she looked at him and gave her a small kiss on the lips, lingering for a few seconds. Her eyes search his for an explanation and she realized that she had been worrying for nothing. Pushing that fear away, she did not know what to do in this situation. Seeing her hesitation, the white-haired shinobi looked at the sky. The sun was finally out, and it had gotten warmer. Taking in both of their appearances, Tobirama scratched the back of his head.

"We should probably dry up before to go back." She had a small laugh and nodded.

"Agreed!"

Looking at the destruction of the field around them, they found a place under a large oak tree that offered a good rest area. Plopping down on the ground, she stretched her legs in front of her when he sat next to her.

"Do you want me to heal your injuries?" He considered it for a moment but shook his head.

"No, I only have bruises, I will be fine." Remembering her appearance this morning he looked at her. "So what was bothering you this morning?"

Her happiness dampened for a moment, and she met his eyes briefly before to look back to the river.

"Just a recurring nightmare. I feel like there is more to it than what it looks like, but I cannot figure out what it is. It's like a puzzle with a missing piece."

Tobirama hummed, knowing that it would be the only thing he would get from her about the subject. It was probably not the first night she had it since she looked beyond tired. Even him, with his reduced sleep schedule did not look this exhausted… He hoped she would be able to sleep tonight.

Pushing back on his hands, he scooted forward and laid on his back, looking up at the clouds, an arm behind his head. Sakura joined him a few seconds later, keeping a respectful distance between them. She did not trust herself to be too close to the man right now, still unable to forget the feeling of his body against hers.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed. The warmth of the sun soon lulled her into a comfortable sleep. Unbeknownst to her, in her sleep, she searched for comfort.

Tobirama was looking at the sky when he felt her arm land across his torso and her head on the crook of his neck. Looking down, he saw her asleep. Smiling to himself, he continued to gaze at the clouds. She probably needed the rest so he would let her as long as she needed to. He needed a break from everything else, so what better than this? They were both winning.

Remembering what just happened, Tobirama felt a warmth deep in his chest. She had been the one initiating the kiss. She did not protest when he had been pulling her close, when he deepened the kiss, and did not jerk away when his clothed member rubbed on her core… With the moan that escaped her, he would say that she probably enjoyed it. She had been so receptive. He still felt ashamed, but he knew that she was the kind of person to speak her mind if something did not please her. He had no doubts that if she had wanted him to stop, she would have told him. His mind drifted back to the first time he saw her near the river, destroying the trees, he could not have thought that they would have grown this close… He probably had to thank Hashirama for that. Since his brother almost died and he carried her exhausted body to his place, their whole dynamic changed. He was grateful to have her in his life and he was determined to explore this thing he was feeling when he was around her.

* * *

She had been asleep for more than an hour when he felt her stiffen next to him, gripping his shirt with her hand tightly. A frown found her face and she started to move restlessly. Tobirama reach cautiously and shook her shoulder lightly, not to alarm her. It obviously did not work since in half a second, her eyes snapped open and she was straddling his hips, kunai aimed at his throat. She was panting, looking around her. In other circumstances, he would appreciate their positions, but right now, it was different.

Both hands in front of him, Tobirama tried not to appear like a threat. He saw the exact moment when she snapped out of it because the veil in her eyes lifted. She had great reflexes even when sleeping, he had to give her that… And remember not to wake up a shinobi in the middle of a dream… _Basics, really._

Sakura had forgotten where she was and when she felt a touch on her shoulder, she jumped into action. The fog of her nap left her brain and looking down, she was surprised to see her own kunai on the Nidaime's throat, small pearl of blood forming where the skin had been pierced. Looking from the kunai to his eyes a few times, she threw the kunai away like it burned her, hands shaking, letting herself fall on the ground next to him. She tried regulating her breathing and curled her hands into fists. She almost hurt him, she almost- This was crazy. Ashamed, she covered her face with her arms, panting.

Tobirama was looking at her, understanding. Sitting up, he hauled her to a sitting position, taking her hands from her face and wiping the tear that escaped her eye.

Sakura did not know why he was this calm when she could have done something terrible a few minutes prior.

"I am so sorry, I did not mean to do that. I don't know what happened-"

"Never try to wake up a sleeping shinobi, I brought it on myself." His teasing voice did not reach her.

Seeing the small stream of blood leaking on the side of his throat, Sakura knelt in front of him and brought her chakra hand to the cut to heal it quickly, not able to look him in the eyes. Tobirama knew that it took a while for a shinobi to be able to sleep comfortably without being alerted by everything around them after a battle. He also knew that everyone was different and that even if the battle she had been a part of had happened months prior, she would be jumpy for a few months still. He grabbed her shoulders and searched for her eyes. When she finally looked at him, she had new ribbons of tears staining her cheeks.

"If you think that a small kunai would have been the end of me, I am genuinely hurt."

Hearing his amused voice, she looked at him perplex. Was this an attempt to make a joke? The smile he sent her way a few seconds later gave her the answer. Her body relaxed and seeing this shift in her posture, he let his hands slide along her arms. Grabbing her hands, he helped her up.

"Now, let's go back to the village. You need to rest." Silent, Sakura followed him to the bush where he threw his armor. Getting his armor back on, he started walking, thinking she was behind him. Turning around, he saw her looking at his back, small smile on her lips.

"I don't want to walk, is it possible to take a shortcut?"

She must have been really tired since she normally hated his transportation justu.

"Definitely." Shrugging, he went back to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, waving the sign with one hand. They soon reappeared on her porch. Looking up at him she gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"You are right, I am getting used to it…"

Tobirama wanted to kiss her at that moment and was about to do so when a frantic voice interrupted them.

"Sakura! Finally, I found you! You need to go to the hospital, there was an accident with a few of my clansmen. A katana practice went wrong…. Ama needs your help-" Izuna stopped in front of them, taking in their disheveled appearance and damp clothes and the fact that he clearly interrupted something. Filing this in his memory, he sent an amused look at Tobirama and waved at Sakura to follow him. Now was not the time to tease her.

Giving an apologetic smile to Tobirama, she stepped out of his embrace and left with Izuna for hospital. _And life gets busier.._. Tobirama watched her pink hair until she disappeared. Sighing, his footsteps took him to the office he was sharing with Madara and his brother. He knew what Izuna had seen, and also had a feeling that he would mention this to their brothers. Sighing, he opened the door and sat at his desk. For now, he still had things to do.

* * *

Hours passed and the Uchiha men were as good as new. Some of the cuts and stab wounds had been more serious than she thought, but in the end, she had been able to fix everything. When Sakura was finally done with the surgery, she was exhausted. The short nights of sleep she was getting did not help replenishing her chakra as she wanted to and on top of that, her spar with Tobirama tired her some more. Getting out of the operating room, she bumped into a tall Uchiha. Passing her, he turned around and gave her a hateful look, flashing his sharingan in her direction.

"Careful where you are going, Senju whore." The words were spat with such venom that she stood still, registering the words. _Whore?_ The man left, shoving Izuna away in the process. Izuna gave the man a weird look and saw Sakura standing in the hallway.

"Are you alright?" Sakura's head snapped up and she gave him a tired smile.

"I am fine. The men of your clan are not really fond of me it looks like. It's the second one acting that way with me in the past two days…"

Izuna rubbed his chin. It was not uncommon for Uchiha to be tactless, nothing worth reporting to his brother since some of the clansmen were still unsure about the alliance. They would be on board at some point, but this kind of thing took time.

"What did he tell you?"

Sakura shrugged and waved it off. "Nothing important. I wanted to tell you that the men are all healed and sent back home."

Izuna smiled at her and gave her a quick side hug.

"Thank you, I really appreciate what you did." Pausing, he smirked down at her. "I hope I did not interrupt anything between you and Tobirama this morning…" Flustered, Sakura jabbed her finger in his ribs and jerking away he laughed. "That's what I thought, I will see you later Sakura!." He started to make his way to the entrance.

"Izuna!" He stopped in his track. "Ama worked so hard on one of your clansmen, would you mind taking her home and make sure she is ok?"

Turning towards her, she could see the red tint of his cheeks before he changed direction to go and pick up the young Senju medic. Before he disappeared in the hallway, she shouted:

"You children better behave, she is training tomorrow!" The exasperated look he shot her over his shoulder was enough for her to laugh the whole walk back to her office.

* * *

Tobirama had been disappointed to have his morning moment cut short but was proud to know that she was accomplishing great things. He really had to get started on some village matters that his brother probably did not do the night prior like he had asked him to.

The door opened and when he looked up, he was greeted by Hashirama and Madara looking at him with knowing expressions on their faces. Not wanting to give them ammunition on anything since he did not know how much they knew, Tobirama sat there comfortably, working on the document in front of him. He was really hoping that they did not know what had happen in the river or he would have to justify himself… And he had no justification whatsoever.

"Sooooooo…. I heard some interesting things today." Rolling his eyes, Tobirama sighed.

"Pray tell, brother, what did you hear?" Leaning back on his chair, Tobirama finally looked up at the two men in front of him.

"So last night I was looking for you. We received a letter from the Hyuga and needed your opinion on what to do. Funny thing, we could not find you anywhere and-"

"And Mito told you where I was?" Hashirama's stupid grin widened. The Senju leader propped his elbows on the table and put his head on top of his hands.

"Among other things. Now I might have a suspicion as to why you were in such a rush yesterday at the market. So… Is there anything you would like to tell us?"

"Well,-" Both leaders moved forward, excited to hear about it. "Sakura and I had dinner and talked, then I came back home."

Hashirama threw his hands in the air and groaned.

"Tobi! You need to give me more than that!"

"Brother, sometimes I do wonder how old you are. Stop acting like a child."

Tobirama carried on with his paperwork. Madara looked at the young Senju's demeanor and something did not go unnoticed by his sharingan. The white-haired shinobi had a smile so small that only a trained eye could see it. Something more happened, and it made Tobirama Senju smile. He might just go to Sakura to get the real version of the facts, but for now they had things to do.

They all worked in silence and then, Tobirama remembered his brother's words.

"What about the Hyuga?"

"In the scroll they explain that they had the same problems. Unexpected attacks from untrained groups of shinobis. They assured us the that they were not involved in the attack that almost killed me. They are willing to send a small delegation to Konoha around the time of my wedding to negotiate with us and talk this through." He paused. "I want your opinion. We think about assigning them a guard of our own men to make sure they are not trying anything. Do you think it is a good idea?"

Taking in the information Tobirama put his pen down. By the time the wedding would happen, the village would count about five to six clans, so more protection. If the Hyugas were responsible for the attack, they would not dare to do anything then. But being more vigilant did not hurt after all.

"I think it is a good idea. Surely, they will understand why we are doing that. We need to pick two or three of our best men, Uchiha included." Both leaders nodded and Hashirama signed the scroll and rolled it back.

Mito suddenly barged in the office, looking like a nervous bride to be. Seeing Tobirama, she almost ran to him.

"Tobirama, I need Sakura to help me with some things for the wedding. It is important. Can you tell her that I really need her tomorrow?" Not understanding, the man raised his eyebrow.

"Mito, Sakura is her own person, you can go and see her directly if you need her help."

A deep frown found her face and she crossed her arms, pouting.

"But, she won't agree. She hates doing this kind of things… But if you ask her, she might be more open to the idea? You can even bribe her to do it…"

A small bush crept on his face at the innuendo and this made both leader chuckle. Tobirama shot them a murderous glare which only added to their hilarity. Focusing back on Mito, he sighed.

"Since when did I become an errand boy?" A large smile graced her lips, knowing she had won.

"Since I decided so. And since our Sakura has a sweet spot for you in her heart."

Huffing and throwing his arms in the air, he left the office.

Everyone watching him saw the slight bounce in his step. Once the door closed, the three of them looked at each other with a knowing grin. Something had happened between the two of them during dinner last night. Little did the leaders know, they were not aware of a certain heated moment in a river…

* * *

After the surgery, Sakura tried to do important paperwork, but was interrupted for two other emergencies requiring surgeries in a row. She was tapped out. After a spar, the katana accident, the surgeries and minor healing, her chakra was almost non-existent. She also did not have any food in a while. Pushing the thought of a nice meal, she went back to her office, sighing at the pile of documents on her desk. She could not go home now, sadly.

Sitting there, she thought back on her day. She had have a great time with Tobirama.. Great time was an understatement. It had been intense and… Hot. The look of hatred the Uchiha sent to her crossed her mind, shoving away the nice images of her and Tobirama. She could not forget those eyes and the way the man had called her a Senju whore. Rubbing her temple, Sakura tried to focus back on the document in front of her, but her vision was blurry.

A sharp knock echoed in her office and she did not have to look up to know who it was.

Tobirama made his way to the hospital slowly and searching for her chakra signature, he frowned, sensing the amount she had left. She overdid it again. Going directly to her office, he knocked and entered. She was hunched over her papers, rubbing her tired eyes. He had to admit, even when she was exhausted and tired, she was beautiful. Maybe it was because of what she did. The way she made everyone's well-being pass before hers… Getting closer to her, he took her hands away from her face.

"Mito wants you to help her with her wedding planning tomorrow."

"Well good evening to you too, Tobirama." A smirk graced his lips and seeing her rubbing her eyes again, he frowned.

"I think it is time for you to go home." She shook her head weakly.

"No I have paperwork to do, today was busy and I really have to work on-"

"People will understand if you turn in those documents in a few days. Now come, I will walk you home."

She knew she was in no position to argue with the man. Sighing, she pushed her chair back and stood up on wobbly legs. Seeing her this weak stirred memory in his head of the night she had saved his brother. He hated to see he this way but was admiring her strength at the same time. Remembering how helpless she looked on the night of his brother's accident before she collapsed, he shook his head. He would not let her get this tired ever again, and to do good on this promise, he had to bring her home now.

Together, they started to walk but seeing how unstable she was, he took her in his arms, bridal style. It was becoming an habit for him to get her home that way… Not that he cared, but people seeing him carrying her all the time might get ideas. Before she could say anything, he used his hirashin to get them to the front stairs of her house. Putting her down, he could see he overestimated her chakra reserve since she almost fell forward. Patting his chest weirdly, she looked up at him with unfocused eyes.

"I take back what I said this morning. I am not getting used to this at all. I hate it." Stabilizing her Tobirama shrugged.

"I am sorry, I thought you might want to get home rapidly." Too tired to argue, she waved this off and he helped her in. Bringing her in her bedroom, he let her change and prepared her some tea. Walking back to her bedroom, he found her sitting on her bed, half asleep. Putting the tea on the desk, he walked to her and crouched in front of the bed. A soft smile found his lips and he caressed her cheek. Closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of his calloused hand, she sighed.

She had a great nap next to him and was afraid to fall asleep again. She knew she would only wake up feeling sick with chakra exhaustion and would not be able to fall back asleep either way. Opening her eyes, she looked deep into his eyes.

"You should sleep now. You need it."

"It's not like I will be able to rest even though I try…" A small laugh shook her shoulders and she met his eyes. "Haven't been able to get more than a couple of hours of sleep because of it." Understanding her reference to the nightmare she had been having, he sighed. She looked like she was about to pass out and he did not like it…

"I could stay over for the night." The words left his mouth before he could think it through. She froze and gave him a surprised glance.

"You could what?" Clearing his throat he tried to explain the reasoning behind what he had said.

"When I stayed with you the night you asked me to, you did not wake up at all. You slept the whole night. Right now, you need all the rest you can get, so I thought..." He let his sentence unfinished, but she understood the logic behind his reasoning.

Thinking about the time he stayed with her, she had to admit, it was true. She did not have any problem to stay asleep and was feeling quite refreshed the morning after. But considering what happened today, was it really the best option? Was he only offering because it was the logical option or because he wanted to be there?

"Would you mind staying over?" Her voice was small and unsure, and he understood the meaning of her sentence. Do you want to stay?

"I would not have offered it if I did mind staying."

Pondering his answer, Sakura slowly nodded. Her body was aching, and her head was heavy, she needed to sleep. Getting back on his feet, he brought her the tea and while she drank, he took off his armor and his long sleeve shirt. When she was done drinking, he took the cup from her hands and put it back on the desk. Left in his black shinobi pants and blue undershirt, he made his way to the bed and slid next to her under the blankets. Facing her, he looked into her deep emerald eyes and draped his arm on her waist, positioning the other one under her head as a makeshift pillow. Her eyes drifted shut in a few minutes and before her breathing became regular, she whispered.

"Thank you Tobi-" and fell deep asleep.

She must have been exhausted to be able to doze off in a matter of seconds. Pulling her closer, Tobirama buried his face in her hair and inhaling the sweet smell, fell asleep soon after.

* * *

_She was on the battlefield. Standing close to Naruto, he grabbed her behind the neck and pulled her in a hug. The skin of her neck burned, but too surprised to see her friend, she did not make any case of it._

_"Please remember, Sakura-chan." Putting his forehead on hers, his blue eyes bored into hers. She felt like her body was flung backward and then, there she was, yet again, on the battlefield. Spectator of her friend's last moment. She looked and saw herself and the two men giving the last blow to the Rabbit Goddess. Knowing the moment where her friend's death would happen, she averted her eyes._ I can't do it. I can't_. Looking back, they laid there, Sasuke dead and Naruto, fighting for his life. She saw the desperate way she tried to save them. How Shizune pulled her back. Shizune? She never realized who made her stop healing Naruto until now. Feeling the emotions rushing in like she was there again she gasped._

* * *

Tobirama woke up when he heard her gasp and felt her jerk in a sitting position. From where he was, he could feel her whole body shaking. Slowly sitting, he tried to find her through the darkness of the room. Slowly, he put a reassuring hand on her back, not keen on repeating the kunai incident.

Startled, she turned her head towards him, and his heart broke when the moonlight coming through the window lit up her features. Her face was contorted in a pained frown and streak of tears were marking her cheeks. She was looking his way without seeing him, still recovering from this nightmare. So this was the nightmare she had been talking about recently, he could understand how sleep was evading her for the rest of the night when she woke up this abruptly… Knowing it was useless to talk to her right now, he moved slowly on the bed. Scooting behind her, Tobirama put both his legs on each side of her and slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pulling her to rest on his chest. She tensed against him but relaxed soon after.

Sakura was surrounded with his scent and the shaking of her body subsided. She then noticed the warmth around her and strong arms anchoring her back to the reality. Her breathing slowed down, and she leaned into his embrace.

Feeling the stiffness of her body leaving slowly, he stayed silent. After a few minutes, he felt her drop her chin on his arms.

"Nightmare?" His whisper was barely audible, but she heard it because she nodded her head. He felt her nod more than he saw her.

"Do you want to talk about it." This time she shook her head. Understanding this kind of things, he did not push her. He kept her in his arms, rubbing small circles on her bare shoulder with his thumb. When did he became this tactile with her? He did not know the answer, but his instinct knew how to calm her, so he was following it.

Sakura felt safe. Having him there made her night so different. Instead of staying in her bed restless for hours, she was relaxing in his warmth. She had been ashamed to ask him to stay with her for the night but right now she did not regret it one bit. There was a calm energy emanating from him, able to calm her senses. He did not have to talk to her to try to make it better. His touch and his presence did it for him. He was also a patient man and did not mind waiting for the storm to pass with her. Before she knew it, she fell back asleep, the pained frown gone from her face.

Tobirama felt her head lean back on his shoulder and peering down, saw that she was asleep again. Careful not to wake her, he leaned back on the pillow, holding her body on his. It was not the most comfortable position, but it would have to do. Moving in her sleep, she faced him, laying on his chest, nuzzling his clavicle. Her hand was grabbing the front of his undershirt like her life depended on it. She looked fragile and vulnerable, trusting him with her safety and at this moment, something clicked inside of the young Senju. If she needed reassurance, he would be there. If she needed a sparring partner, he would be there. If she needed protection, he would protect her. _If I had to, I would give my life for hers._ But there was no way he would tell her this.

The rest of the night flew by with no other incident.


	21. Chapter 21

Note: I want to thank everyone for the great reviews I have gotten! I am so glad that you enjoy the story and reading you always makes me happy! That being said, I want to address one thing. I've been receiving anonymous reviews recently and have to talk about them. I am open to constructive criticism because it helps me to get better as a writer. However, I received a few reviews that were straight up mean and that were far from constructive. I deleted them. Let me make one point clear. I post my story here because I like to write and want to share my work with you guys. Like I said before, if you do not like, don't read it. If you want to be mean, at least hold up to it and don't make it anonymous. I am not going to lie, I thought about stopping the story there and it took me a few days to decide to continue it. SO for the ones who appreciate it, I will keep posting! Either way, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Sorry for the ranting.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 21

The next morning found them in the same position. She was nestled on his chest, him holding her lower back tightly to prevent her from falling. When Sakura woke up, she did not open her eyes yet. She just enjoyed the regular beating of his heart and his slow breathing. His scent surrounding them and his warmth made her want to go back to sleep. It was so peaceful.

As she was about to drift away, she felt his fingers twitch on her back and his large intake of air. Opening her eyes, she glanced up at him and met his crimson eyes that were barely open. His mouth stretched into a tired smile. Seeing him half-asleep and relaxed was another thing to add to her list. He was so handsome… For a moment she could not take her eyes of him. Her heart was beating madly against her rib cage and she hoped he could not hear it.

Tobirama had to admit that waking up to those emeralds on him was something he could get used to. She looked well rested and at peace this morning. The dark circles under her eyes were paler and he could feel her chakra level back to a somewhat normal amount. Her nightmare did not come back and she had been able to sleep for the rest of the night. She smiled a him and like it was the most normal thing in the world, he bent forward and kissed her lightly, his grip tightening on her waist.

Hearing her front door open, Sakura cursed under her breath. Suddenly her bedroom door flew open and Madara stood there, speechless. He raised his hand and looked at them, opening his mouth, but closed it right after, not sure about the right thing to say. If anything. Tobirama and Sakura, who had pulled away from the sweet exchange, shared a glance and focused their attention back to the Uchiha. Madara regained his composure and became serious. His voice sounded strained and he seemed to be containing his anger.

"I don't mean to interrupt anything, but it is passed noon and we have people from the Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi clans waiting in the office. You and Tobirama need to be there since I cannot."

Passed noon?! Even Tobirama looked surprised when he heard the time of the day. Noon. They had slept fourteen hours? Catching on the last part of Madara's words, Sakura carefully sat up, with a small frown on her face.

"What do you mean, you "cannot"?" She did not understand where it was coming from. He was one of the founders. He had to be a part of those talks.

"They do not want to have anything to do with me. They only want to talk with Hashirama, so I won't be present." Sakura jumped out of bed and stood in front of them, determined. Placing a hand on her hip, she met his onyx eyes.

"As if that was going to happen. Madara, meet us in front of the office in thirty minutes." With that, she started to grab some clothes from her drawers.

"But-" Raising her hand, she gave him a serious look over her shoulder.

"You are coming. There will be no negotiations without you, and I'll make damn sure of that."

Madara looked at her, unsure, but agreed. He left the house and when she heard the door close behind him, Sakura turned over to peer at Tobirama, still sitting in bed. He was slowly stretching his arms above his head and her gaze fell on the rippling muscles uncovered by his undershirt. She had to will herself to tear her eyes from this tempting picture. She was getting used to see him in her house and she did not know how to feel about that. Seeing where her eyes have been and the way they darkened slightly, a smile tugged on Tobirama's lips.

"Locking the door isn't your forte is it?" Coming back to her senses, she grabbed a pillow from the ground and threw it at him. A deep laugh rumbled in his chest and the sound made her shiver, but she continued to gather her things. Getting out of bed, Tobirama grabbed his armor and shirt. Seeing him about to leave, she grabbed his arm. He paused, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank you for staying. I don't remember the last time I had such a great night of sleep…" His gaze softened imperceptibly and he brushed the side of her neck with his hand.

"Whenever you need." Her eyes widened for a second. Tobirama straightened up and tightened his grip on his armor. "I will meet you there." Before she could say anything, he bent over and kissed the diamond on her forehead and disappeared.

Had he just offered her to come and hold her during the night whenever she needed a good night of sleep? _He totally did. _She had learn how to read between the lines with him. Breathing out she leaned on her dresser, legs shaking. What was he doing to her?

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were standing in front of the office. The two men decided let her go inside first. When she entered, she was faced with the representatives of the three clans and froze when she saw the Yamanaka. He looked exactly like Inoichi did. Same long blond hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones... Tobirama brushed her fingers seeing how she froze and this small contact made her come back to the present. She continued her way in, thinking about the men of her time. Even the Nara and the Akimichi had the same features that Shikamaru and Choji had. Crazy to see that things did not change so much from generation to generation. Their curious gazes were darting between her and Madara. They probably wondered what they were both doing there. The Yamanaka crossed his arms on his chest.

"What is _he _doing here?" The words were spat with such venom that Sakura snapped out of the head space she had been in. Offended for her friend, she took a step forward and her eyes were hard and serious.

"HE is here because he is the other founder of this village and all negotiation will be done between your clans and the two of them." She said the last sentence pointing at Madara and Hashirama's direction. Madara sat next to Hashirama while Tobirama leaned his hip on the desk.

The three visitors looked at her, wondering why a woman was giving her opinion so bluntly. The Nara tried to somewhat smooth things over.

"What my friend here is saying is that, his clan caused great casualties to his, so Madara Uchiha is the last person he wants to do business with..." Not giving them time to add anything, Sakura tilted her head on the side in mock pensive manner.

"I heard that Senju and Uchiha were deadly enemies before, but they were able to negotiate and create a village, weren't they? Otherwise I wonder what we are all doing here." The Yamanaka eyed her with disgust and frowned.

"Ok, who's woman is this." He cocked his chin in her direction, sneering. "Someone needs to put her on a leash and teach her where her place is."

Hearing the words, Sakura's anger flared, and her eyes bored into his blue ones. Madara and Hashirama exchanged a glance and someone in the room whispered, "Oh dear, he did not." But Sakura was too focus on the Yamanaka to figure out who said it, or to care about it for that matter. The men who were aware of her temper knew that something bad was bound to happen. They were proven right when she slowly walked to the blond man, stopping when she was a foot away from him. Even if she was a good head and a half smaller, her chakra coated the whole room, making it hard to breathe. The Yamanaka was staring down at her, arrogant and a smirk found her lips. He obviously could not read the situation. The men who knew her were definitely happy not to be on the receiving end of her smirk. They knew way to well that it meant trouble.

"This woman has a name." Her voice could have cut through the best Susanoo of the Uchiha clan and Madara tensed on his chair. For Tobirama, to see her standing her ground in front of three men was quite arousing and he tried not to let his mind wander in this direction… But damn, she looked amazing right now. He leaned forward, interested to know what her next move would be. Hashirama was amused to see how intensely his younger brother looked at the pink haired medic. He had some questions for him later... A small grin appeared on his face and he brought his attention back to the situation at hand.

"All I am saying is that you can go back to your chores, _woman_. The men need to talk now, if you don't mind."

Tobirama froze and anger started to seep in the atmosphere. Madara and Hashirama were now frowning. The blond man's arrogance was starting to get old, but Sakura laughed innocently, grabbing the blond's arm lightly and the three visitors laughed with her, unaware of the storm brewing in her. _They are clueless. _When the Yamanaka put his guard down, Sakura brought two fingers an inch from his neck. He stopped laughing, eyebrow raised in mock defiance wondering what that was about and she gave him the sweetest smile she could. The Yamanaka became serious when his blue orbs met her hard emeralds.

"This woman, like you said, is no one's property. Her name is Sakura and-" Sending chakra to her index, she created a chakra scalpel long enough leave a cut on his neck. The sound her sharp chakra made everyone tense. Blood trickled and fell from the cut and smirking at the now tense and scared man, she used a voice full of authority. "I deserve some respect. Don't let the hair fool you, I could punch you through next week if I wanted to."

The Yamanaka gulped and slowly nodded. Sakura withdrew her fingers from his throat, chakra dissipating, and beamed at him, clasping her hands behind her back in mock innocence. Bringing a hand to his throat, he looked at his bloody fingers and back at Sakura.

"Good! Glad we understand each other." A chuckle left Tobirama. Leave it to Sakura to tell someone off, showing them their place and be smiling like nothing happened afterward. She did it a few times with him and he hated it but when it was done to another person, it was quite entertaining. A whistle left the Nara representative that was lazily slouching against the wall.

"I like her." Sakura turned towards the Nara and met his appreciative glance. Nodding dryly to acknowledge the man she focused on Tobirama. Seeing him frown she realized he was looking passed her in the Nara's direction. Was he being territorial? _Probably not._

Tobirama was ashamed to admit that he did not like the way the Nara looked at her at all. He knew she was fascinating, but she would not be interested in the black-haired shadow user. Would she? Looking back at her, she gave him a smile and here soft eyes made him relax in his chair. Hashirama, who noticed everything of his stoic brother's behavior, elbowed him and his knowing smile was enough for the young Senju to tense again and get this frown of his. Had he been this obvious? Or was it something else? Hashirama waved in Sakura's direction and looked at the three men.

"This is Sakura, she is an extraordinary medic, the head of the hospital and quite the kunoichi. I expect you to treat her with utmost respect, since she is the one who stopped the war. Without her, the village would still be a mere dream."

Tobirama had to admit that pride swell in his chest when the three men bowed to her in respect. Her anger was forgotten, and she looked back at him, breath hitching in her throat. His crimson eyes were burning on her skin and she had to wonder what caused him to be so intense all of a sudden. Pushing the thought aside for now, they all took a seat and started the negotiations with the help of the Nara.

The process was going great and she was making sure that everyone got what they needed, like she did that time with Madara and Hashirama. If there was a point of contention, she was the one to give a neutral point of view that could advantage both parties. The heads of the three clans were really impressed with her knowledge of politics and attention to clans matters and customs. She was an interesting woman... and any clan would be lucky to count her in. Tobirama leaned back on his chair, admiring her working in a man's world. During the meeting, the both exchanged a few soft glances. Madara who was observing everything noted that something had changed between these two. They looked like two teenagers trying to be subtle about their attraction. Hashirama was probably oblivious of those exchange, but Madara could see it way to well. He did not mind, but it was annoying to say the least. He always thought that Tobirama Senju was a block of ice with no desires, but seeing the way he looked at her was disgusting in that, the Uchiha had to change his status from ice cube to man with hormones. And it was weird.

The door of the office opened suddenly and a nervous Ama entered without knocking. Seven pairs of eyes landed on her. She stood there, fidgeting under the intensity of everyone's look. Clearing her throat, Sakura brought Ama's attention to her, knowing that walking on so many important people gathered in the same room could be quite stressful.

"What is it Ama?"

"Sakura-sama, I am so sorry to disturb you, but someone mixed up the schedules and you have three surgeries to perform today." Sakura frowned and looked back at Ama.

"I will be there in a minute. In the meantime, find the person who made that mistake, we will need to have a chat." Ama left running and Sakura slowly stood. Making eye contact with everyone present, she bowed and smiled. "Duty calls. It was a pleasure to work with you, but please, continue without me!"  
Sakura left the room and when the door closed, the Yamanaka sighed, placing his head in his open palm with dreamy eyes.

"Wow, this woman is really something else…" Admiration leaked out of his voice and he got himself a hard stare from Tobirama. All the men in the room felt the surge in the young Senju's chakra and the message was understood. She was off limits. Unfortunately.

* * *

The first surgery went well, the second one was a total walking disaster that she had to bring back to life twice and the last one had been normal. Washing her hands, Sakura's eyes followed the bloody water dripping from her hands until it became clear. This had been an interesting day, to say the least! Drying her hands, she made her way to her office and slumped on her chair. She was definitely ready to go home. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and stayed this way for a few minutes until her relaxing moment was cut short by Mito entering her office. The woman looked angry for some reason.

"Sakura, where were you today?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"I've been at the negotiation with Madara and Hashirama and got called in for surgeries… What's the matter?" Sitting comfortably in her chair, Sakura leaned forward, giving her attention to the red head.

"You were supposed to help me with my wedding planning today! Didn't Tobirama mention it to you?"

Scrunching her eyebrow, Sakura thought about the night before. It was vaguely familiar. When did he talk about it? When he came to see her before to take her home! She had been so tired that it had totally slipped her mind...

"I am so sorry Mito! I did not remember and there was this mix up in the schedules..." Seeing the genuine expression on the medic's face, Mito relaxed and sat on the chair in front of her. Sighing, she gave Sakura a small smile. Everything in the pink haired medic's attitude showed that she was tired and worked really hard today.

"It's ok, I can see you had quite the day! But please, if you could help me tomorrow, I would greatly appreciate it."

Sakura observed the Uzumaki for a moment. She did not want to do this but it was important for the red haired woman, so she would help. Her and Hashirama were her friends after all… Friends. Since when did she consider them all as friends? Sighing, a low chuckle escaped her.

"Ok, ok... Just come and pick me up tomorrow morning." A triumphant grin plastered on her face, Mito walked around the desk and gave a warm embrace to Sakura before to hold her shoulders.

"Thank you!" Sakura waived her hand and the Uzumaki left the room. Sakura sat back down and sighed. This whole thing was a bit of a mess. What did they think when deciding to have their wedding in the middle of all that?

Leaning back on her chair, she closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids she could see crimson eyes focused on her, like he wanted to devour her in that office when she was surrounded by men. Had he been jealous when the Nara showed appreciation towards her? No. That would be stupid, Tobirama was a lot of things, but jealous? No. He enjoyed her company, had some physical attraction for her but that was probably it. Who was she kidding? Powerful men like him were not interested in clan-less women like her. Sasuke had made it quite clear.

She could not help but feel happy when thinking about their interactions as of late though. They had been quite... intimate. Something in his behavior changed. And the way he held her last night, it had been so comforting and familiar. Like she belonged somewhere. But as soon as this thought would cross her mind, she would then feel puzzled. She did not belong here and the fact that she was the only one to know that fact was weighing on her more than she ever thought it would. Gone was the girl who did not want to form any relationships. Now she had friends. And him... There was still so much he did not know about her. She was trying to be honest with him about most things, but there was so much she could reveal without giving herself away... Opening her eyes, Sakura sighed. She would tell him. She would be honest with him. She did not know when, but she would. With her new found determination, Sakura started on the day's paperwork.

* * *

The negotiations came to an end when the sun had set, and all parties had what they wanted from it. The three visitors bid their farewell and said that they would be back with their clansmen a week before the wedding. This done, the three men in the office slumped back in their chairs. Once the office door closed, Madara turned towards Tobirama and crossed his arms on his chest.

"So, are we going to talk about whatever is going on between you and Sakura-chan?" Putting his pen down, Tobirama raised his head and met Madara's calm onyx.

"What about it?" Tobirama knew that he might have overreacted a bit when the Yamanaka complimented Sakura after her departure, but how could he not. The blond man had been a prick with her and right after, he was acting all nice and funny. Talk about an hypocritical jerk. It was not right and he corrected it. Or so he liked to think. He certainly did not act because he was jealous.

"Well for starter, you had dinner with her. Then someone told me that you played in the water together and looked quite cozy afterwards…" Tobirama rolled his eyes. So Izuna had talked to his brother. A devilish smile appeared on Madara's lips and Tobirama knew that he had no way out. Oh how he wished to be able to punch the man in the face right at this moment. "Let's not talk about the position I found the both of you in this morning."

Hashirama who had been working on a document, stopped writing and looked up at the two men, eyes wide.

"What position? Madara, what were they doing!" Excited, Hashirama was almost jumped out of his chair at the words of his best friend. Tobirama rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Hashirama, get your head out of the gutter." Facing Madara, the young Senju pinched the bridge of his nose. "For god's sake, we did not play in the water, we sparred, and I used water jutsus against her." _And then other things happened, but that's none of your businesses. _

"And what about this morning? I want to know!" Hashirama's sentence came out as a whine and his lips turned down into a childish pout. He really wanted to know. Tobirama sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes, not answering. Madara exchanged a look with his friend. Like he was telling him a secret, Madara lowered his voice and whispered to the Senju leader.

"He was lying in bed with our pretty Sakura-chan this morning… Or more like, she was laying on him this morning." Hashirama brought his hands to his mouth and gasped loudly. He then clapped Madara in the back.

"I told you he was not that dense!" _Dense?! _Hashirama and Madara were really starting to get under his skin, and Tobirama could feel his temper getting slightly out of hands. Hashirama shoved the Uchiha's shoulder. "Finally! He made a move!" Rubbing his eyes, Tobirama sighed impatiently.

"Would you two stop this? I did no such things. She had nightmares and it prevented her from getting a proper night of rest. I stayed with her yesterday since she was in a state of chakra depletion. The last time I stayed at her-"

Tobirama stopped his sentence there. He was a man who carefully picked his words, normally, but having them probing in his personal affairs made him uneasy. _Why did I say that... _Now both men looked at him knowingly and the white haired Senju crossed his arms on his broad chest, looking away.

"So this was not the first time you stayed over… Interesting." Walking to his brother, Hashirama grabbed his shoulder and shook it playfully. "Look at you, taking control of the situation, spending time with her, and exploring your emotions. Because yes, you do have emotions. Don't tell me otherwise." Hashirama smiled sweetly and added: "Did she manage to break down your walls yet?"

Tobirama swatted his brother's hands away and glared at him.

"She did not. We are just hanging out. Now let me go I have things to do." Hashirama had an innocent smile on his face, watching his younger brother's back while he walked to the door.

"I imagine that the kiss on her birthday was your way to hang out with her too?" Tobirama stopped dead in his track. How was his brother aware of that? He never saw them on that tree because he was drunk for god's sake! Was he just saying that to get the best of him? Seeing that Tobirama had no intention to answer, Hashirama pushed his luck.

"Sakura and Tobirama sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-" In an instant, Tobirama was in front of his brother, a hand on his mouth. So he really knew. The white haired Senju glared at his brother and when he talked he used a hushed tone.

"Ok, yes, that happened, but she is the one who started it." Tobirama could feel the wide grin of his brother under his palm and his frown deepened. Madara approached both men.

"Of course she would make the first move considering how socially awkward you can be." Tobirama glared at the man. He was NOT socially awkward. Madara continued. "So you guys…" Madara let his sentence unfinished, knowing that the Senju would understand the question.

"Nothing like that. We are getting to know each other… I think." Madara rolled his eyes, his point proven.

"Did you two talk about it? About whatever is going on? About how you feel?" Leaning closer to the young Senju, Madara had a threatening voice. "And what does this "getting to know each other" involves? You are treating her properly I hope?" Madara's brotherly instincts kicked in.

"Yes I do treat her with care and for the rest, it does not involve you, so I don't see why I would have to share anything." Eyeing Madara cautiously, Tobirama could not believe he was about to say that to him of all people. "And no, we did not really talked about it... This is quite new for me and I am still trying to figure out what I... feel." Madara understood. After being at war since childhood, it was hard to let anyone else in and Sakura was dealing with things of her own as well... which could definitely make things complicated. Hashirama being oblivious, as always, pushed his brother's hand from his mouth.

"How about you ask her to accompany you to the wedding? That would be a start!" Rolling his eyes, Tobirama just wanted to leave. He already had said too much and did not feel like going through a whole investigation.

"Sure, sure. Now can I go?" Hashirama nodded and the young Senju turned around to leave the office. When he closed the door, Madara turned towards Hashirama.

"You said earlier that he wasn't dense, but he truly is. Is he going to realize soon that he had been in love with her since she saved his ass from Izuna's katana?" Hashirama shrugged.

"He is a smart man, but I agree, he can be quite stupid emotionally, so who knows?" Watching the door for a few minutes, the two leaders shrugged and went back to work. _Only time will tell..._

* * *

Finishing the last of her paperwork, Sakura hung her white coat on the back of her chair and left her office. Walking by the nurse station, she stopped and checked in with Ama. The young Senju woman was making great progress in her training and she would probably be able to perform advanced techniques in a month or so. Sakura already started to show her some of her signature medical ninjutsu. She also decided to take another apprentice under her wing. Kaiya Uchiha. The woman had been recommended by Madara himself so she did not ask any question and just agreed to it, knowing he would not send her just anyone to train. Signing a few more document on her way out, Sakura waived at the night staff and left.

A soon as she set foot out of the hospital, she started to have this weird feeling in her stomach. Trying to figure out where it was coming from, she came to a stop abruptly. She was being watched. Trying to scan her surrounding, she could not see where the threat was coming from. Never been the sensor of the team to begin with. She could feel the hate, the anger… It was surrounding her. It was not coming from any particular direction… it was overwhelming.

Grabbing a kunai silently, she continued her walk, the presence still there, hidden, lurking in the shadows. Feeling a gust of wind close to her, she turned around, kunai ready to strike. Another kunai met hers halfway and she found herself face to face with Tobirama. The only thing that told him he was surprise was the slight raised in his eyebrow.

"Tobirama!?" He gave her a weird look but moved his kunai back to his pouch and she did the same.

"Well, hello there." His teasing voice helped her relax. Letting out sigh, Sakura bent forward, hands on her knees, taking a deep breath, trying to let go of the tension in her shoulder. He was next to her in a second, hand resting on the middle of her back reassuringly.

"Sorry, you scared me." Standing straight, she started walking towards her house, trying to avoid any questions. "How did it go?" He matched his pace to hers and looked down.

"It went well after you sat them down. You made yourself quite a few admirers today." The nonchalance of his voice hurt her a bit for some reason. Was he that indifferent?

"I don't need men to tell me what to do. They had to learn. Unfortunately, by the way they treated me, they are not on my list of prospects." Crossing her hands in her back, she looked up at the night sky. Tobirama was now listening intently to her words. A list of prospects? He did not like the idea one bit. Eyes narrowing, he glanced back down at her.

"Who is then... on your- your list of prospect?" The eagerness of his tone did not escape her, and she huffed a laugh. Keeping silent for a few second, they finally reached her front porch. She faced him, smiling enigmatically.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" A small laugh shook his shoulders and he leaned on the door frame next to her. _Fair._

"I was thinking." He took a pause and scratched the back of his head. "Would you like to accompany me to Hashirama and Mito's wedding?" She looked at his face and saw the slight blush on his cheeks. He really wanted to bring her as a date? Her? Mouth agape, she could only stare at him. Seeing the way he shifted his weight from one side to the other, she realized she never answered too absorbed by the meaning of his words.

"Uh.. Yes. Yes! Of course!" At her answer, his smile lit up his face and he opened the door for her. Getting inside of her house she faced him shyly.

"Want to come in for tea?" Maybe if he came in, she could get the courage to tell him everything? Getting close to her, he touched her cheek.

"I would like that, but we still have to work on some village matters tonight… How about dinner tomorrow night?"

"That sounds perfect. Good night Tobirama." His warm eyes met hers and he cupped the side of her face.

"Good night Sakura." He was about to leave, but paused. Bending down, he gave her a kiss that made her toes curl before he disappeared. Sakura stood there and brought a hand to her lips. A smile found her face and she closed the door, happy.

* * *

If there was one thing that Sakura did not like at all, it was shopping. Especially for a wedding. Mito had really particular taste and was so picky. They had gone into different small new shops for different things and the pink haired medic wished she could have stayed in bed that morning. But like a good friend, she followed her around, helping her with some choices and picking up fabrics. In the fabric shop, a beautiful roll of deep blue silk caught Sakura's attention and she touched it dreamily. Seeing her, Mito smiled and continued talking with the shop owner.

That being done, it was time for some food, so the afternoon found them both sitting in a small tea shop eating dangos. Sakura was listening to Mito's babbling about the ceremony and the reception, but was easily distracted. A some point, she zoned out and looked at the somewhat busy streets of the village. A smile found her lips when she thought about her role in the creation of the village. Her thoughts drifted to a certain white haired man and then to the fact that she had to tell him her secret and a frown replaced her smile. Mito, seeing that the young medic was not listening to her anymore, observed her over her tea cup.

"You seem happy Sakura." Green eyes widened in surprise and the medic faced her. "Would that have anything to do with a young and handsome Senju?" Sakura choke on her tea and a blush spread on her face. Her hand shot up to the necklace she was wearing and she started fidgeting with the stone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sakura, I know about your kiss on your birthday, the dinner he made for you, Izuna told me how he saw you in each other's arm on your porch and Madara was quite traumatized to see you together in the same bed… So tell me, what is going on between the two of you?" At her wide eyes, Mito had a happy laugh, but calmed down when Sakura's expression turned more serious.

"Why do everyone seems to know everything in this village... I deserve some privacy!" Her pout made Mito laugh. That had been a good try from the medic to avoid answering the question.

"Don't change the subject, Sakura." The pink haired kunoichi glanced at Mito and met her eyes. A sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head.

"I honestly do not know." Her eyes glazed over. "We have amazing… moments… and I love his company, but we did not put a name on whatever is going on between us. Hell, I don't even know what we are... He is caring and all. I think he does like me, but there are still so many things I have to tell him about..." Sakura stopped talking, realizing what she had been about to say and took a sip of tea. Mito did not push for her to finish her sentence.

"Did you two talk about a relationship?"

"How can I think about relationships, I don't even know if it is the right thing to do." Mito frowned at her choice of words. The right thing? Right thing for what? Sakura's brow furrowed and a fleeting sad expression crossed her face before she looked back at Mito. "The only thing I can tell you is that I do like him. A lot." Knowing that she would not get any more information from the pink haired medic, Mito grabbed her hand.

"Thank you for sharing this with me. You know, if you need to talk, I will always be available." Both women stared at each other and giggled. Sakura sighed. She would enjoy her day today and think about all of that later.

* * *

Sakura met Tobirama at the office and he already had a bag of food with him. Before she could utter a word, he touched her, transporting them to the top of the future Hokage monument. Looking down to the village she gasped. She had not been here since the day they were planning its construction. Seeing how big the village had gotten made her emotional. Her Konoha.

Tobirama looked at her with soft eyes. Her reaction was exactly the reason why he thought about bringing her there for dinner. Always working for the well-being of the village was great and all, but having an outside view of what you created was another thing. He thought she would appreciate and was not disappointed when she stared at what she helped create in awe. Tobirama sat on the edge and motioned for her to sit next to him, which she did, legs dangling from the cliff. She reached in the bags and found two bento boxes and some dangos carefully packed. She liked how in tune with her he could be… It was a first for her to feel like she was on the same page with him. With anyone for that matter...

They started to eat in silence and when she was done with her meal, she asked him questions about his life, his goals, and aspirations. She learned that he wanted to teach to children the way of life of shinobis, that his village was the most important thing for him and that he would go to any length to defend and protect it. He talked about the progress in the new jutsus he was creating, and she added to the conversation with things she knew, nudging him in the right direction so he could accomplish his goal. Every time she brought a new component to a jutsu he had been working on for a while but could not figure out how to continue, he was surprised. He never knew she had so much knowledge. He was rambling about a way to improve his hirashin when he realized that she had been looking at him with soft emeralds, head in the palm of her hand. He stopped talking, raising an eyebrow and she answered to his silent question with a genuine smile.

"You are an interesting person, Tobirama Senju." He could have sworn that his heart tried to get out of his chest at the way his name rolled on her tongue. The way her eyes were on him, her smile, the sweet voice… He did not expect that.

"The same thing can be said about you, Sakura." A small blush crept on her face and she looked back at the village. She had tried to find a moment where she could spill everything to him, but things were just so easy and comfortable at that moment that she lost part of her determination. She did not want to ruin this. They continued talking and when the night surprised them, he brought her back home, taking the long way. They walked hand in hand and she leaned her head on his arm. When the arrived to her home, he came in for some tea. Sitting at her kitchen table, they were laughing and she paused and looked at him, sitting in front of her. She tilted her head.

"I never expected you to be like this when we first met." She giggled and took a sip of her tea. Now he was curious.

"What do you mean?" Cocking his head to the side he looked in her eyes.

"May I remind you the fact that you hated me." Pausing, he put down his cup and crossed his arms on his chest.

"I never hated you, I was worried about my clan, that's all."

"Well, it took me almost collapsing because I save a clansman for you to feel safer having me around."

"In my defense, with the way you destroyed those trees, I had to be cautious." A laugh escaped her lips. She had forgotten about that. "But later on, I saw you care for our people and I realized that your healing abilities and your knowledge were fascinating." The compliment brought a slight blush to her cheeks. "You are fascinating." Feeling the intensity of his crimson eyes, she avoided his look and blushed even more.

"You have to be careful, Tobirama, I could get used to all the attention and compliments you are giving me…" Suddenly serious, his warm gaze found hers and this time, she could not look away. Leaning forward his voice was deep and smooth.

"You say this like it is a bad thing." If only he knew...

"You are spoiling me. Bringing me lunch, sparring with me, kissing me. I could think that you genuinely care for me." He stood up and walked around the table, stopping in front of her. Crouching in front of her, Tobirama gently took her face between his hands, tilting her head back gently.

"Would it be so hard to believe if I did?" His warm breath ghosted over her lips and her breath caught in her throat. Shaking her head, she smiled at him and he kissed her. She could only focus on how soft he felt against her mouth and how addictively his peculiar scent invaded all her senses.

But how could she tell him all that she planned to say when he was so close to her now. How would he react? Her thoughts were disturbed by warm lips on her neck and she gripped his hair tightly and brought him back to her mouth. The way his lips moved on hers made her breathless. He was kissing her like she always wanted to be kissed. Like she was the most beautiful and important thing in his world. It was fiery and demanding and she stopped fighting with herself, letting him take her breath away. Slowly, he pushed her back on the ground, a hand on her waist. He grazed the pads of his fingers across her stomach and she gasped. He took this opportunity to slide his tongue against hers and taste the sweetness of her mouth. A needy moan escaped her and the grip she had on the small hair at the nape of his neck tightened. She pulled him closer, his chest now pressed against hers and her other hand grabbing his bicep.

Tobirama was lost in the tumult of his emotions. This was new to him. This desire, this warmth... This need to get closer, even closer. The urge to touch her body... He slid his hand on her side to her body, and grabbing the back of her thigh, he raised her leg up. Instinctively, she wrapped both legs around his waist. The friction between their bodies was electric. When she pushed her hips forward, a primal groan vibrated in his throat and he felt her shiver, shuddering breath leaving her. She felt it too... Tobirama stopped moving, placing his forehead on hers. Green eye opened and they looked at each other for a moment, surprised. It had started by dinner and here they were, on the floor, exchanging burning kissed and touches. There was something new. Something different between them at that moment. Something beautiful. Sakura gently cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for a soft kiss, which he savored. A flare of chakra caught his attention and he exhaled loudly, dropping his head on her clavicle.

"As much as I would like to continue, I can feel Mito coming our way... We should..." Understanding what he meant, she nodded. Sitting back on his heels, Tobirama grabbed her hand and helped her up. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks flushed and lips swollen... The knock on the door cut his admiration short. They both looked at the door.

"What is it Mito?" Sakura did not open the door, knowing that Mito would probably understand. She knew the importance of knocking and not barging in someone's house better than her future husband.

"Tobirama is needed at the office." Mito's voice was heard through the door. Tobirama cleared his throat.

"Let my brother know that I'll be there in a few minutes." Mito did not answer and he could feel her chakra getting farther away from the house. Turning back to Sakura, he made his way closer to her, serious expression on his face.

He grabbed her face gently and kissed her again. She anchored herself by grabbing his sides and a fleeting feeling of sadness filled her. Chasing it away, she kissed him back and pulled away with a small sigh.

"You have places to be, Tobirama. You know Hashirama, if you don't appear fast enough, he'll personally go and look for you..." The man nodded and she took in his appearance. He definitely looked less pristine than he normally did... She laughed and attempted to place his hair a bit and straighten his clothes. She chuckle. "If you go in looking like this, you'll get some questions." Though he agreed, he did not care.

"I will take my leave." He paused and looked intensely in her eyes. "We need to finish our... conversation at another time." The meaning of his words and the warmth in his gaze made her shiver. It was a promise. Nodding she smiled and he kissed her quickly again before to do the familiar hand sign and leave her house.

This is when the words she said to Mito came back in her mind, but with the feeling in her chest, she corrected them. _I love him._


	22. Chapter 22

Note: I am sorry I left you hanging for a while. I listened to a few people and took a small break to breathe and take care of myself. I also realized that writing as I go is hard and makes me lose my inspiration very fast. So! I decided to finish the whole outline of the story and complete most of the chapters before to post this one. This way, I won't have to make you wait for weeks for updates! I understand that keeping up with a story that isn't updated that often can be frustrating which is why I hope to be able to give you a chapter every week and a half with all the work I recently did! Sorry for the short chapter, I'll do better soon, promise! Hope everyone is doing well, and as always, thank you for reading!

Also: If you have any questions, please ask away, I will answer them when I will post the next chapter!:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 22

The day after their dinner, Sakura had been working nonstop at the hospital, things getting busier with the arrival of more clans. Normally, Tobirama would show up to her office and get her out for lunch, but he had also been busy, to his dismay. Tobirama sighed, sitting in a meeting with the head of the clans, settling some final details regarding politics and resources. They had been at it for a while and he did not have anything particular to add since he wasn't a leader. The white haired man continued to listen to the conversation, distracted. Looking out the window, he could see the sunset and the ghost of a smile found his lips. He was really proud of the village's growth, but right now, he only wanted to be with Sakura for a while and relax in her company. Sit at her kitchen table, drink tea and see the way the flame of a candle would dance in her green emeralds, hear her soft laugh...

"Brother, what do you think of this idea?" Hashirama's expecting eyes on him, Tobirama frowned and shrugged. Madara's knowing eyes met his crimson ones and the young Senju crossed his arms on his chest, acting nonchalant.

"Do what you think is best, Hashirama." The Senju leader's glance lingered on him before returning to the paperwork on the desk. Tobirama always had something to say that was contradicting him, so seeing him approve of his idea was quite new. Shrugging, the Senju leader turned back to his guest and continued the conversation.

The hours passed and when Tobirama finally got out of the office, the first thing he did was sense around the village to see where she was. Still at the hospital, chakra levels normal. He had hoped to see her after their moments from the night prior, but it looked like she had still a lot to do! Walking to the compound he could not help the feeling of disappointment washing over him. There was something about her that made him want to get closer to her… A pull of some sort in his heart. Shaking his head, he made it to his bedroom, laying on his bed and watching the ceiling. Hours passed and the white-haired man could not sleep. Green eyes haunting his mind. Sitting in his bed, Tobirama ran a hand in his hair and stood up. Decided, he put on his armor and weapon pouches and left the compound for a stroll. He knew he would not be able to sleep for now.

* * *

Sakura finally exited the hospital in the middle of the night. Many new clansmen from the Yamanaka clan needed to be registered for medical purposes and it took her longer than expected to do so. She had to do a physical exam on each of them, and they were not the most easy-going people when it came to medical care… To be honest, there were not a lot of shinobis who enjoyed being in a hospital, Sakura could not blame them. She ended her day in her office, yet again, exhausted wanting to sleep so bad, but the thought that her night could be cut short yet again made her tense. Now was not the time to think about that. She would be able to sleep, she knew it.

A few hours later, she finally started her walk home. Taking her time, she inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell of the rain that threatened to fall at any time. Feeling the hair on her neck stand up, she paused. The same feeling of being watched made her feel uneasy and she reached in her pouch for a kunai. She was not a fan of walking home armed, but not knowing what was lurking in the dark, she had to be safe.

Pivoting on her foot, she saw a human shape disappear around a the corner of a street in the shadow. Pausing, Sakura thought about the situation. She could go home, like nothing happened, or follow whoever this was and be ready for the worst... Starting to walk in the shadow's direction, Sakura crouched and hid behind the wall of a house. The closer she got to the person, she started to feel a stinging pain on her neck. Remembering the way Hashirama had been poisoned, she reached out with her hand and touched the back of her head. Nothing. Letting out a relived breath, she paused, listening. She could feel the dark chakra on the other side even if she was not a sensor. Taking a quick decision, she grabbed her kunai tightly in her hand. _At three. One, Two, Three. _Jumping out from behind the wall, she was surprised to find... nothing. The interesting chakra disappeared like it had not been there at all.

Walking around the street, she looked wherever someone could hide, but found nothing. A shaky breath left her. She was probably tired and was imagining things. She had been on edge lately, that might have played a trick on her mind... Rubbing her eyes in frustration, Sakura turned around and continued on her way home without noticing the eyes watching her from a rooftop.

Once she entered her house, Sakura went to her bedroom and changed into Tobirama's shirt and her signature black shorts. Getting under her blankets, she tried to make sense of what just happened. Was she really that tired to imagine someone following her? It had not been the first time that she felt that way, but with the stress of her nightmares and everything else... Gripping her hair, Sakura shook her head. She had to try to sleep a few hours, at least. Maybe with a good night of sleep, she could figure things out properly. Closing her eyes, sleep found her surprisingly fast.

* * *

Tobirama did not know why his feet brought him there. He just thought he wanted to make sure she was fine, but he knew he was lying to himself. He needed to see her. He had gotten so used to make detours or have her come to see him at the office that when she did not and was too busy, there was something missing in his day. He missed her warmth and her smile. Her light. The feel of her skin under his fingers...

Therefore, he found himself standing in front of her house. Making a quick decision and knowing her habit about doors and locks in general, he entered. He made his way easily to her bedroom in the dark and when he saw her, something in his chest warmed up. She felt like home. Having the need to come back to her like that was scary, but so natural... Yes, he could have never imagined when she came crashing in his life that he would get attached to her the way he did. But he did.

So, taking off his armor silently, he slid under the blanket behind her, pressing his chest against her back. Seeing the frown on her face with the pale light of the moon coming in from the window, Tobirama sighed. She probably had already woke up due to her nightmare. Snaking his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and the feeling of her body relaxing in his hold, the frown disappearing from her face and her happy sigh when she faced him and tucked her face in the crook of his neck had made his heart ache. In a good way. In a way that was so new but felt so good. It made him feel proud, happy, satisfied, and so many other things he could not name... To know that he was the one who could chase those bad dreams away from her, the one who could make her feel safe with his embrace... It just made his heart swell. A tired smile stretched his lips and he fell asleep, holding her close, face buried in her soft pink hair.

* * *

Tobirama woke up to the feeling of a hand running into his hair and he smiled tiredly, opening his eyes. Red met bright and soft green eyes and for a moment, his brain stopped working and he just admired her. His throat felt dry when he noticed the way the sun coming from the window was coloring her hair different shades of pink and made her eyes looked like the purest emeralds. He had this strange feeling of wholeness. Was this how his brother felt when Mito was around?

With delicate fingers, Sakura traced the contour of his face and the marking on his chin and cheeks. They were both frozen in time, enjoying the feeling of being on the other side of the line they had crossed together. This feeling was quite scary, but it also felt right. Sakura laid there, wondering if she could have felt any of this had she stayed in the future. She doubted it. But there was still this sword hanging over her head. The secret she had to tell him. This morning, she just could not bring herself to interrupt this moment. It could wait.

Sakura yelped in surprise when Tobirama pushed her on her back. Hovering over her, he gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. Her hands cupped his face and she melted in the mattress, pleased sigh escaping her lips. Pulling away when she gasped for air, Tobirama smiled down and she felt her heartbeat accelerate at the soft expression gracing his beautiful crimson eyes.

"Good morning…" Sakura shivered at the huskiness of his voice.

"Good morning, Tobirama." Moving off, he sat next to her and helped her into a sitting position. Facing each other, they remained silent for a moment.

He looked at her. Her sleep mussed hair, rubbing her tired eyes, his shirt on her small frame and her long legs peeking from under it, soft and pale. His hand found her leg and his fingers drew some sort of patterns on her calf, gently. She knew that he had no problem to kiss her and sleep next to her but reaching for her and touching her just because he could was new. She liked it. Sakura tilted her head and watched him with so many emotions in her eyes that he paused what he had been doing. Never had anyone looked at him the way she did at this exact moment and his breath caught in his throat. The intensity of his stare was enough to spark something in her.

She was feeling good. This, here, was perfect. When they were alone, together, his face lost its edge and he was showing her this other side of him. The one that was not stoic and emotionless, but rather warm and inviting… Really inviting. Crawling closer to him she raised on her knees, her face at the same height as his. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him in for a soft kiss. Which turned out to be more intense with every second passing. She wanted to get closer to him. _Needed_ to get closer to him.

Scooting forward, she straddled his hips and pressed her body against his, her breasts crushed on his muscled chest. His hands moved automatically, one on her shoulder blades and the other on the small of her back, leaning her backward to have better access to her mouth. The movement made their hips collide in a sweet friction that left both of them wanting more. Sakura kissed him and unconsciously, started to grind her hips on his slowly in a tortuous pace. Her mind and body filled with amazing sensations. Electricity coursing through her.

Tobirama cursed under his breath, feeling her move against him the way she did. Did she know what this was doing to him? His head fell back when her lips found his neck at the same time her hips moved down on his. Tobirama's mind went blank and a primal growl left his throat. Grabbing her hips, he pressed her body closer to his and repeated the same movement a few times, hearing the sweetest moan escaping her. What he could give to make love to her at this exact moment…

All those feeling, this friction…. Everything was new to her and she did not want him to stop there. She wanted him. Completely. Becoming a tad bolder, Sakura gripped the hem of his shirt and took it off, hands roaming on his chiseled chest and biceps, tracing his scars. A shuddering breath left him at the feeling of her fingers on him, and he loosened the tight grip he had on her hips. He could feel the chakra of multiple people not too far from her house and even though he was the one who came to her last night, he still wanted to preserve her reputation. She did not need to be the talk of the village because of him.

"Sakura, we shouldn't…" She kissed him again and his grip tightened on her hips again, her lips almost making him forget what he wanted to say. Finding his words back, he tried again. "I am serious… We have to leave the house, or they'll come looking for us…" and he did not want to do this like that. He wanted to make it special for her if it was what she really wanted. Not rushed by their daily duties or the threat of anyone walking in like Madara did the other day. He wanted to take his time to discover her completely.

Shaking her head, she continued to kiss him and opened her eyes only to see an amused glint in his, his face betraying nothing of his thoughts. Feeling his finger inching close to her ribs, she realized what he planned to do. How did he know?! Trying to get off him, she was unable to do so.

"Tobirama, no… Don't you da-" a shriek escaped her when he gripped her sides, tickling her. Her laugh was uncontrollable, and she rolled off him, twisting in the sheets begging him to stop. Her shirt rose high enough for him to have a view of her taut stomach and the fact that she was not wearing any bindings. Getting distracted by her soft skin he stopped, staring at her exposed body intensely. She laughed, glaring at him, and pulling her shirt down slightly. Pointing her index at him, she narrowed her eyes, playful.

"A gentleman would not stare the way you are staring right now, _Tobirama-sama_…" Her voice was teasing and with hungry eyes that took her breath away, he leaned forward, face mere centimeters from hers. She made it so hard right now for him to control himself and let her go unscathed. After what had just happened and the way she was teasing him right now, his self-control slipped slightly. The intensity of his gaze made her shiver, and he probably noticed if the predatory smirk that stretched his perfect lips was something to go by.

"Who said I was being a gentleman?" Her eyes widened and his hungry mouth found hers again. Shifting his weight, he pressed her deeply into the mattress, hands sliding on both sides of her body in a long caress. It was now his turn to grind his hips on hers, pressing the extent of his desire on her clothed core.

"Tobirama…" She said his name in a breathy and needy whisper and he clenched his jaw, trying to gain some control back. Closing his eyes tightly, he exhaled and willed his body to calm down. He had wanted to teach her a lesson, but there he was, feeling stupid for trying not to react himself. Kissing her jaw, he whispered in her ear.

"I told you would notice when I was not a gentleman…" With a smirk, he kissed her neck where he could see her erratic heartbeat and she closed her eyes. Before to do something he would regret, he moved and got out of bed. Sakura missed his warmth and all those crazy feeling he gave her. Opening her eyes, she could see him standing at the end of the bed, satisfied yet strained smile on his face. She was… Frustrated. Frustrated that he cut his ministration short… Huffing she sat in bed.

Tobirama stood there, feeling incredibly lucky. She was there, eyes darkened by desire, lips swollen from all their kisses, panting slightly and a pretty blush dusted her face. And he was responsible for it. Masculine pride rose in him and reaching for her hand, he helped her up. She walked past him and he caressed the small of her back as she walked by.

Tobirama had gotten used to being close to Sakura and never thought he would be the one to experience something similar in his life. For some reason, he never thought he would be able to get close to anyone like he did with her. But there he was, always looking for a reason to see her, to touch her.

Meeting her in the kitchen, they made breakfast and tea together, moving in the space like they had been doing it for years. They ate and she went to change while he put back on his armor. When they were done with their newly acquired morning routine, he walked her to the hospital and left for the office, not without stealing a kiss from her when no one was watching.

When he walked away, the warm and fuzzy feeling from their morning together was gone and Sakura was left with this pit in her stomach. The anxiety of knowing there was still so much she had to tell him. It scared her because she did not know what his reaction would be. She also had to figure out if yesterday's shadow was real. If so, she had to add it to the list of things she had to tell him... If she was being honest with herself, after everything she had been through, she finally felt happy. Like she was meant to be there. Sakura did not want those sweet moments to stop. She did not want to lose _this. _

* * *

The Hyuga arrived the day before the big wedding. The clan head was there with his escort and they were directed to Hashirama and Madara's office. Sakura had been made aware of their arrival but could not join them on the conversation since her schedule was still busy at the hospital, and she had started to teach Ama a new medical technique.

The calm Hyuga leader sat in front of Hahirama and Madara drinking his cup of tea. Tobirama was standing in the corner of the room, observing the representatives that accompanied the man.

"It is a pleasure to have you in our village, Hyuga-sama." Hashirama bowed his head in polite thanks and Madara followed suit, albeit reluctantly. The pearl eyed man did not seem to mind.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Setting his cup down, he eyed the village leaders silently. "We do have much to discuss, so let's proceed."

"Of course."

Hashirama started by telling the man about the time they had tried to go and meet the Hyuga clan. How they were ambushed and the used of a poison on the Senju leader. At the mention of the poison, the Hyuga's eyes widened imperceptibly, but it did not go unnoticed by Tobirama who decided to address it.

"You knew these men?" Tobirama's question was more of an affirmation and the Hyuga glanced his way rapidly.

"We did run into a few of them a few months ago… We unfortunately lost quite a few men because of the poison." Focusing back on Hashirama, the leader raised an eyebrow. "How were you able to survive, if I might ask. We tried everything to save our men, in vain."

Madara eyed the man suspiciously, but his features only expressed some grief, nothing malicious. Exchanging a glance with Tobirama, the Uchiha leader sat forward on his chair.

"Our medic, Sakura. She is a poison expert and was able to prepare an antidote on time."

"She? A woman? This is quite incredible. I am looking forward to meet her." The founders shared a look, remembering the last man who treated Sakura as if she was nothing and focused back on the Hyuga leader.

The men in the room exchanged more information about the attacks and then, that being out of the way, started the negotiations. The clan's head of the Hyuga listened to everything they had to say about the village and its creation, interrupting more than once to confirm Sakura's involvement in everything. Tobirama did not like the way the man's eyes lit up when they were mentioning the pink haired medic's name, but let it slide for now. The talks continued way passed sunset, but overall, everyone was satisfied with how the event turned out. The Hyugas were made aware that a few of the Senju and Uchiha clansmen were going to escort them around the village for the length of their stay, for good measure.

Tobirama sighed when he stepped outside of the office. It had been dark for quite a few hours already, Sakura was probably already home… Sensing around, he could feel that he was right and feeling how low her chakra was, he shook his head. He would let her sleep tonight and see her for the wedding tomorrow. If he was being honest with himself, he was quite excited to have her accompanying him to the event. Taking his time, he thought about their mornings and how comfortable it was to wake up next to her like that. He could definitely do it every single morning… The thought made his face warm. Was he? No. Maybe? Pushing the troubling thoughts away, his feet brought him back to the compound and straight to his bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

* * *

Today was the day where the event that everyone had been waiting for was happening. Sakura woke up and searched for a warm body next to her. Finding no one, she opened her eyes and huffed, disappointed. The man was slowly starting to take a bigger place in her life... Not that she minded.

Finally getting out of her bed, she put on her black pants and a long sleeves shirt. She had to make sure the hospital was fine before to get ready for the wedding. Grabbing a fruit, she left her house and started making her way to the building. She caught sight of a few new additions to the village and she smiled. Everything was going according to plan. The clans were joining in and the peace seemed to last. Noticing a pearl eyed man walking down the street, Sakura understood why she had not seen Tobirama the night before. He had probably been busy addressing the ambush and the conditions for the Hyugas to move into the village. For some reason, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

Entering the hospital, she checked in and made sure that the scheduling was properly done and told the nurses to come and get her if anything major were to happen while she was away. Her staff being briefed, Sakura left to get ready. On her path home, she was interrupted by Hanami who, without a word, dragged her to the Senju compound until she stood in Mito's room. Sakura smiled, seeing the red head. Mito ran towards Sakura and beamed at her.

"Sakura! I am so happy you are here!" Sakura crossed the distance gave the Uzumaki a tight hug.

"I was about to get ready at my house but Hanami brought me here, is everything ok?" Mito smiled and nodded. She then walked back to her dresser and reached in one of her drawers.

"I wanted you to help me to get ready and…" Taking a package from the drawer, she gave it to the pink haired medic. "I had something for you!" Sakura laughed, quite embarrassed.

"Mito! You should not have, it is your wedding day! I should be the one to give you a present!" Mito's eyes softened and squeezing Sakura's hands she whispered, voice thick with emotions.

"You gave me my present when you saved Hashirama's life. Without you, I could not marry him today…" Sakura froze and unspoken words hung up in the air between the two women. Clearing her throat, Mito changed the subject, back to her happy self. "Now open it!"

Sakura smiled and nodded, fingers shaking while she opened the package. A gasp escaped her lips and surprised by the content, gave Mito a surprised look. A hand on her heart, she let out a quick breath.

"Mito, I cannot accept this! This is too much…"

In the package sat a gorgeous kimono. It was made with the midnight blue material she had seen earlier that month when shopping with the red head. Taking it out of the package she looked at the details. The midnight blue color was interrupted with white patterns embroidered at the hem and the sleeves; the obi was another shade of blue matching the one of Tobirama's armor. This was a statement. Bold. But she loved it. Feeling tears building in her eyes, Sakura took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"I heard you were going to be accompanied by a young Senju and thought the colors would be fitting…" Giving Sakura an innocent look, Mito laughed. Sakura nodded numbly and wrapped her arms around Mito's neck, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, I love it!" Her voice barely above a whisper. Mito chuckled, pleased, and pushed Sakura slightly.

"Now, can you help me? I have a wedding to get ready for!"

Nodding Sakura helped the red head to put her hair up into an up do leaving strands of hair to frame her face. She then helped her to dress in her ceremonial kimono. While a young Senju maid took care of the red head's make up, Sakura changed into her new kimono and styled her hair in loose waves. She was the next one to get the talented Senju to put some make up on her face. She put on her eyelids something akin to eye liner and some mascara on her eyelashes. It was simple, but with the blue color of the kimono, it made her eyes stand out even more. Looking at herself in the mirror, Sakura smiled, grabbing the necklace that had been offered to her on her birthday between her fingers. Knowing that she still had to find Tobirama before to go to the temple, Sakura grabbed Mito's hands and looking at the Uzumaki, she had to try not to cry. She looked perfect. The most beautiful bride.

"You look amazing…" Squeezing her friend's hands, she took a step back. "I will see you later."

Leaving the room, Sakura thought about walking to Tobirama's bedroom, but changed direction when she heard his voice in the dining room. Getting closer, she could hear Madara and Izuna as well. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Would he think that the kimono was too bold? She liked it, but maybe he wouldn't... Taking a deep steadying breath, she walked in and the conversation between the three men stopped.

Chancing a glance up, she met Madara's eyes and could see the approval in his onyx. He also looked proud to see her dressed this way for some reason. Izuna's jaw was hanging and a chuckle left her. Taking all her courage, she faced Tobirama. The man was standing there, looking at her. No. Devouring her with his crimson eyes, mouth slightly open and arms hanging on both sides of his body. Eyes still roaming on her from head to toes, she saw him swallow and finally, his eyes snapped up and met hers. A blush stained her cheeks at the intensity of his look. There was something in his chakra that screamed: she is mine. Looking back to the Uchiha brothers, she did not miss Madara's smirk directed to the young Senju. Since no one said a word, Sakura clasped her hands together, looking at the three men innocently.

"Do I look this bad?" They all shook their heads vehemently and Madara took a step forward, taking her hand in his. He brought her hand to his lips and met her eyes.

"You look amazing, Sakura." Looking behind, Madara caught his brother's attention. "Ama is waiting for us, let's head out." Izuna nodded and followed his brother, giving her a last glance and nodding in approval. Left alone, Sakura and Tobirama stared at each other.

Tobirama was stunned when he had first seen her walk in. She was wearing his colors and she looked damn good wearing them. She was also wearing the present he gave her for her birthday. She was like a mirage. His throat felt dry and his heart was hammering in his chest. She slowly made her way to him, like a goddess coming down from the heavens and he was speechless. Sakura felt unsure and seeing it in her eyes, he realized that he had not said a thing to her yet. Shaking his head, he cupped her face, noting how the makeup she had on her eyes made the emerald color a shade darker. He cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow.

"I cannot find the words to tell you how beautiful you are." Hearing the awe in his voice, she blushed. Looking at him, she had to say that he cleaned up nicely. He was wearing almost the same color as hers, without the embroidery but there were accents of pale blue on his sleeves and pants. The material was clinging to his broad shoulders and his biceps in a way that could have make her drool.

"You look great as well..." Still admiring her, he took a step forward and kissed her passionately in hope to express how he felt at this moment since words could not even come close to express how gorgeous she was. Gripping the front of his kimono with one hand and his neck with the other, she pulled him closer to her, deepening the kiss.

"Sakura-sama, it is time to-"seeing the both of them kissing, Hanami cleared her throat, smiling when they both jumped in surprise. "It is time to go."

Tobirama tried to stand straighter and look as stoic as possible, but the rest of a happy smile was lingering on his lips and there was unbridled pride and warmth in his look when he glanced up to meet Hanami's eyes.

"Naturally." He nodded his head and Hanami left the room, laughing. In all her years living with the Senju family, she had never seen the man's face without his stoic expression. Sakura must have been something else to be able to have him look as goofy as Hashirama with a single kiss…

Clearing his throat, he gave Sakura a soft look before to offer her his arm.

"Shall we?" Sakura grabbed the arm offered to her and nodded, walking out of the compound happily next to a handsome Senju.


	23. Chapter 23

Note: A little rough around the edges, but here it is. I am preparing the setting for everything else, so this one might be long, but it has its purpose;) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 23

The walk to the temple took a few minutes and they both stayed silent, appreciating the proximity. Tobirama was standing tall, proud to have the beautiful medic next to him, showing her off. She looked amazing and he wanted everyone to see her. With him. And the people were looking at them, alright.

Sakura realized that everyone was glancing in their direction and she slowed down. Did she have a smudge of makeup on her face? Seeing her discomfort, Tobirama squeezed her arm lightly, grabbing her attention and he leaned towards her and whispered, without breaking his stoic appearance.

"They are admiring you. You look stunning." Letting out a breath of relief, Sakura stood straighter and smiled to him. Crazy how such words could bring back her confidence!

Tobirama did not like to catch the attention, but today, he really enjoyed it. Call him possessive if you wish but being the one to escort the medic was an honor. People were looking at them and moving out of the way to let them go through. It might have been because his brother, the head of the Senju, was getting married and that he was one of the important guest to attend the wedding, but he liked to think that it was because of how powerful of a couple he and Sakura made. Couple… A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and as soon as it appeared, Tobirama's mood dampened when blond hair and blue eyes blocked their way.

"Sakura-sama, it is such a pleasure to see you again…" The Yamanaka sent Sakura an appreciative glance and Tobirama tensed when the man's blue eyes caressed the medic's curves. "Can I be so bold as to tell you that you are one of the prettiest women here today?" His voice was soft, and it rubbed the white haired man the wrong way. Tobirama, standing beside her, frowned at the compliment. The Yamanaka ignored him and took Sakura's available hand, kissing it and meeting her emeralds.

"I hope I can ask you to save me a dance later this evening?" Sakura opened her mouth to answer the man, but Tobirama brought her closer to him, gripping her waist and tucking her to his side. She looked up, surprised, and saw his crimson eyes focused on blue ones. If looks could kill, The Yamanaka would probably be dead. She could see how tight his jaw was by the small vein that pounded on the side of his head. Sakura shivered, realizing that the young Senju had no intention to share her company tonight and was making his intention quite clear. Which was totally fine with her.

The blond man's eyes took in the picture and he had to look from the young Senju to the pink haired medic a few times, before his eyes widened and it dawned on him that they were probably a thing. The way they stood so close, the way she did not react when the man had brought her closer, like she was used to be this intimate with him. His blue eyes snapped back up to meet fierce crimson ones.

"Yamanaka-san, thank you for coming today, I am sure my brother will be pleased to see you and your clansmen." Tobirama's voice was hard and the Yamanaka noticed the possessive hand he had on Sakura's waist. "I hope you'll enjoy the celebration." Gulping, the blond man nodded to the Senju before to walk back to his clansmen. Yes. He understood the message.

That being done, Tobirama directed her to the temple, not letting go of her waist. Sakura smiled inwardly. She liked how he still stayed close to her in front of all those people. It made her feel…Wanted. Not able to hold it in she smiled and her shoulders shook slightly when a small laugh escaped her. Realizing her amusement with the situation, Tobirama raised a questioning eyebrow. Another chuckle left her and he took a moment to appreciate the sound of it.

"Tobirama, you don't strike me as someone jealous…" Tobirama stiffened and glanced down briefly. Seeing his pale cheeks dusted with some color, Sakura could not contain the full on laugh escaping her. Clearing his throat, the man stood straighter and tried to put back on this stoic face of his, looking less serious now that his cheeks had a nice tint of pink.

"I-I am not… Jealous. We are just… late." Sakura hummed knowingly, unconvinced and leaned on his side, following him inside while he rolled his eyes.

* * *

The ceremony began soon after and Sakura's attention was taken by how beautiful Mito was. The way Hashirama looked at her and how perfect of a couple they were. When they were finally proclaimed husband and wife, Sakura wiped a stray tear from her eyes. She had not have the occasion to assist to any of her friend's wedding after the war. To be able to share this historical moment with the founders of her village was an amazing experience. For once, she felt like she was on the inside, not looking in from the outside.

During the whole ceremony, Tobirama's eyes were going back to her so often that he almost felt guilty. Guilty to be missing his brother's wedding to look at the extraordinary young lady standing beside him. She was standing tall, next to him, looking like an angel and he was mesmerized by all the emotions that he could see travelling through her emeralds. What would have life been if she had not come crashing in all those months ago? He did not know and frankly, he'd rather not know. Being here, with her, was all he could ask for right not. When the ceremony was inching towards the end, Tobirama saw her wipe a tear and he quickly brought his attention back to the main event, not wanting to get caught staring the way he did. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest and he was not sure as to why…

* * *

Hashirama and Mito left the temple and so did the guests, following behind them. Putting a hand on the small of her back, Tobirama lead Sakura outside, while staying close to her. She could feel the warmth of his body through her kimono and decided to lean into him for a moment. They were following Madara, Izuna and Ama out when a small Uchiha child pulled on his mother's sleeve, looking in their direction.

"Mommy, is this Tobirama-sama's fiancée? She is soooooo prettyyyyy!" Hearing that, Tobirama froze and Sakura blushed madly, putting a small distance between her and the man that she had been leaning on comfortably while walking. With the child's high-pitched voice, everyone around them probably heard and this was confirmed when more than a pair of eyes turned to face them. The Uchiha mother sent them an apologetic smile and took her child in her arms.

"No, honey. They look quite good together, but I do not think so." The little child pouted, not happy with the answer, but stayed silent. Tobirama cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed, and looking up met Madara's eyes.

Both Uchiha brothers could not contain their hilarity and Izuna broke down laughing in front of them. The situation gained even more attention since, to everyone's surprise, the fierce Uchiha leader was chuckling, lips quirked up, standing next to his brother. Let it to one child to expose two people this way in front of an entire village. Bringing Sakura back where she had been, nicely tucked on his side, Tobirama walked past Madara. Giving the Uchiha leader a mischievous glance, the white-haired man pushed him discreetly and the man collided with a woman, making her fall. Glaring at Tobirama, Madara helped the woman up. Averting his gaze, Tobirama focused back on Sakura who did not pay attention at all. _He deserved it._

* * *

After following the crowd, they ended up back into the compound, in the reception area. The decoration was simple, yet very elegant. Flowers and ribbons were decorating the beams across the room. A line formed in front of the newlywed so people could congratulate them, and this is where Tobirama and Sakura stood at that moment. When people walked forward, Tobirama grabbed her hand, bringing her with him. Looking up at the young Senju, Sakura sent him a questioning glance. Raising his eyebrow, he tilted his head, his silent way to tell her to ask away.

"You did not come over last night, was everything alright?" Tobirama froze for a moment. She had been expecting him? Squeezing her hand gently, they continued to move forward in the line. He thought that he would do her a favor by letting her sleep, but apparently, he had been mistaken as to what she had needed.

"When I was done at the office, you were already sleeping, I did not want to disturb you." Sakura nodded and smiled up at him. Pondering a few things, she decided to take a leap of faith and see what would happen. Taking a deep breath, she met his glance.

"Next time, don't worry about that." Her eyes took a shade deeper when she whispered. "The door is always open, and you are more than welcome to come in." Understanding the meaning of her words, Tobirama took a deep breath and glancing down at her, a small blush found his cheeks, beginning of a smirk on his lips. He had not thought much of it when he had shown up the first time, but to know he could do it, that she was ok with it and whatever happened that morning, was different.

"Duly noted, I will remember this next time." His voice had been warm and Sakura knew that he understood her. A cheeky smile on her face, she smiled at Hashirama when they stopped in front of the newlyweds. Hashirama eyed his brother's pink cheeks and raised an eyebrow. Then, looking at Sakura his eyes widened.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, you look amazing!" Hashirama said, taking her hand and making her spin so he could see her outfit. "Tobirama, you are one lucky man!" Tobirama's eyes were glued to her and the brown-haired man laughed. Indeed, he was lucky.

Sakura noticed that a Hyuga man was standing behind the couple. He almost looked exactly like Neji, which made her pause for a moment before she gave him a smile. The man probably saw her at the same moment since he took a step forward and bowed to her at the waist. Sakura was at a loss. In her time, never would any of those important clan heads bowed to her. Never. Hashirama focusing on his pearl eyed guest stood between her and the Hyuga.

"Hyuga-san, this is Sakura, I told you about her and her medical knowledge. She is the one who saved me that time…" Nodding her head slightly, she smiled.

"Indeed." The Hyuga faced her and taking her hand, looked into her eyes. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Sakura-sama." His voice was soft, and he took his time when he brought her hand to his lips. Tobirama, who was standing behind her, was quite annoyed. It was the second time tonight that he had to be the spectator of men swooning over Sakura. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Sakura took her hand back and nodded her head in return.

"It is a pleasure for me as well, Hyuga-sama." Hashirama's laugh made her look up and seeing Tobirama she understood why. The man was standing tall, arms crossed on his chest and looking down to her with pride and then sent a warning glance to the white-eyed man. The way he kept her next to him and his possessive behavior towards the pink haired medic was making most people smile. It was not every day that Tobirama Senju acted this way, especially not because of a woman. But no. He was not jealous. Smirk finding her lips, Sakura schooled her features and focused back on the Hyuga.

"I hope you and your clan will appreciate being in the village, once you finally move here. If you or your clansmen have any medical concern, please do not hesitate to come to me."

"We surely will. Have a pleasant evening, Sakura-sama." The Hyuga glanced at Tobirama over her shoulder giving him a nod and a small smile. Tobirama could have sworn that he saw a glint of a challenge in the man's eyed. He did not like it. The young Senju's hand found the small of her back and he walked with her across the room, putting distance between them and the leader. introducing her to some of the new people she did not know yet. At some point, they were interrupted by some Senju clansmen who had questions for Tobirama.

He was dragged away by them and left her with an apologetic smile. Sakura did not have time to be disappointed when the Nara leader started a conversation with her. The man was smart, but knowing how Shikamaru had been, it was not surprising. She was soon involved into a medical debate with the Nara related to plants and poisons. Her specialty and area of interest. The man thought he could beat her knowledge and ended up really surprised when she mentioned plants and poisons from other countries. Ama who was now learning about those, listened closely and brought her input into the conversation as well. While Ama discussed with the man , Sakura eyed the crowd, looking for familiar crimson eyes.

To her surprise, even though he was standing at the exact opposite of the room, his gaze was unwavering, meeting hers with warmth while he was still talking to a man. Feeling butterflies in her stomach, she smiled to him and, placing a strand of hair behind her ear, focused back on her conversation. They shared a few glanced and at some point, she lost sight of the man.

Huffing, she decided to walk around the room. It was something to know that her, Sakura Haruno, could catch the Nidaime's attention the way she did. She just wished he would voice whatever was going on between them. She knew she loved the man, but did he love her? Sakura was taken out of her musing when she caught a glimpse of blond hair coming her way. Her eyes widened and looking all over to see if Tobirama was back in the room, she cursed silently not seeing him. She had little to no desire to talk with the Yamanaka right now.

Meeting familiar eyes over the crowd, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. She made her way across the room with a fast pace until she stopped in front of Madara. Clasping her hands together, she sent him a desperate look.

"Please, save me." Seeing her wide eyes, Madara glanced around the room until he saw familiar blue eyes coming their way. He could not help but to think that the situation was funny. Sakura was a deadly kunoichi, a praised medic and she needed him to tell people off? Did he look like a body guard to her? Madara smirked at her and grabbed her arm before the blond man could.

"I agree Sakura, this is something we need to look into." Madara's attention went to the Yamanaka and he raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "What do you need?" His voice was stern and made the blond man fidget for a moment.

"I was hoping I could talk with Sakura-sama and-" Madara cut the man by turning around, bringing Sakura with him. Over his shoulder he closed the conversation.

"Yamanaka-san, Sakura and I had important matters to discuss. If you'll excuse us."

Leaving the man behind without another glance, they both walked to a table and sat together. Slumping in her chair, Sakura looked at her companion. He was silently looking around the room, his eyes taking in every details. Waiving to a waiter, Sakura grabbed a bottle of sake and poured herself a glass. Pushing the bottle to Madara, she tilted her head, catching his attention.

"No thank you, I am not drinking tonight." Nodding, Sakura brought the bottle back to her and downed her cup before to refill it. A silence stretched between them and she laughed lightly.

"Are you not going to make fun of me?"

"Why would I? I am only wondering where Tobirama ran off to. Maybe you were too hard for him to handle tonight." Madara chuckled and she rolled her eyes. They sat there in a comfortable silence before the man excused himself after making sure the Yamanaka was nowhere to be seen. Drinking her sake in peace, Sakura relaxed in her seat. This was not how she had planned to spend the rest of the evening. For one, she had not expected her escort to be called away for so long.

Music started and couples met each other on the dancefloor. Sakura sat there, sipping on her cup, and sighed looking at Hashirama and Mito dancing together. They were in their own world and could not care less of what was going on around them. The way he looked at her was straight out of the best romance novel… Moving her eyes across the couples, she saw Izuna and Ama in the same position, the same love plastered in their faces. Her apprentice really did look happy. _Being in love… _

* * *

Tobirama had been frustrated when a clansman had taken him away from Sakura to talk about clan problems. A wedding was hardly the right place to do so, especially when his date looked this amazing, but he understood that his brother was quite busy, so he helped the man. Trying to get out of this situation as fast as he could, Tobirama had only managed to drag more people into the conversation. At least, every time he met her eyes, he could see that she understood. At some point, the conversation required him to leave the room and examine a document. He did so, clenching his jaw, impatient.

When he was finally free of this burden, he tried to look for Sakura but could not find her. Sensing around, he picked up on her chakra was made his way to her. She was there, sipping on her sake, looking at the other couples dancing with dreamy eyes. At this moment, he wondered what she was thinking about. He also took a moment to appreciate how amazing she looked with her wavy hair, her soft curves covered by his colors like they were made for her… His heart accelerated and he exhaled loudly. How could one single woman make him feel this way? He had no idea, but he was happy that she was the one to do it. He had made her wait for so long when she looked this stunning. For him. Feeling a small pang of regrets, Tobirama ran a frustrated hand in his hair.

Not thinking about it twice, he walked and stood next to her. Placing a strand of pink hair behind her ear, he smiled to her when she looked up in surprise, her beautiful eyes standing out and shining brighter than the precious stones on her necklace. _She is gorgeous. _Extending his hand to her, he nodded towards the dancefloor. Understanding the silent question, she gave him an apologetic smile

"I would love to, but I am not a great dancer…" She sighed and averted her eyes. His small laugh made her look back at him.

"I am not either, but I know my way around. Come."

Looking at his hand, she decided to trust him. He helped her up and brought her to the dancefloor. Standing in front of her, he bowed to her and took a step forward, placing his hand on her waist and grabbing her other hand. Nervous pit in her stomach, she glanced up and forgot her stress when she saw his reassuring smile.

Taking confident steps forward, Tobirama moved her around the dancefloor without any effort and her body was so in tune with his that this dance seemed natural. Sakura was surprise to see that he was a flawless dancer. But again, the man always excelled in everything he did, she should not have been surprised. His steps were precise and graceful, and he was guiding her easily, like he was used to it. Sending him a playful look, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"You lied to me. You know how to dance." He made her turn in his arms and brought her back to him.

"I told you I knew my way around, I never said I could not dance…" At that, Sakura could not say anything, trying to keep up with him. When the movements were easier, she looked back up.

"You are an interesting person, Tobirama Senju… I still have much to learn about you it would seem." There again, his heart leaped in his chest at the way his name rolled on her tongue and he had to repress a shiver. He did not want to read too much into it, but what she told him sounded like a promise. "How did you get this good at dancing, if I might ask?"

A low chuckle escaped his lips and she felt it rumble through his chest since they were standing quite close. Dipping her backward, he brought her back up, hand sliding back to her waist softly.

"You see, my father thought that fighting was one of the most important skills for a man to have. Of course, my mother was disagreeing with him. She used to say that a man could truly show his worth to his partner while dancing." Sakura raised an eyebrow, questioning. Seeing that, Tobirama smiled kindly. "She said that, everyone could fight, that it did not prove anything. But a man who could fight ruthlessly to also be able to guide their dance partner elegantly was something worth noting for a woman, because it showed… reliability, I think was the word she used..." Pondering what he just said for a minute, she let him lead her across the floor without apparent effort, marveling on how her body seemed to fit perfectly into his tall form.

"I can see that your mother was a wise woman… And I have to agree with her on this." Tobirama met her glance and he could not look away, noticing the way the lights around them made her eyes sparkle beautifully. "I don't think that reliability was the word she used… The thing she probably meant is that both skills can give away important information. The fighting gives a sense of safety if the man is skilled, while the dancing gives an idea on how he treats a woman." Tilting his head on the side, Tobirama looked at some couples around them and had to agree, seeing the way his brother danced with his wife. Getting closer to her, he whispered in her ear.

"And how do you think I am doing so far?" A blush rose on her cheeks and her heart started to get wild in her chest. He seriously did not know how he made her feel? To have his strong body so close to her, feeling the muscles of his arms, legs and abdomen working when he moved... She cleared her throat, trying to find the right words without voicing everything out loud, knowing he was smart enough to read between the lines.

"I-I would say that… You are quite the skilled fighter and… I did not need to see you dance to know how you treat a woman, but it does not take the charm out of it." Her honest green eyes told him more than she expressed verbally when she looked up. _I feel safe with you and love that you respect me the way you do. _Answering to the look she gave him he bowed his head.

"It is then my duty to keep it that way…" Bringing her body even closer to his, he continued to guide her through the motions, unaware of all the eyes following them around, in awe.

* * *

Not too far from them, Mito and Hashirama were dancing together. Seeing the look in her husband's eyes, Mito squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"What is it?" Hashirama brought his attention to her, eyeing her softly and an emotional chuckle left him.

"I have not seen him dance in years… Not that we had much of a chance to do so but seeing him like this makes me happy" Turning her head to look where her husband was, a bright grin found her lips. Tobirama and Sakura were moving together like one entity on the dancefloor, grabbing everyone's attention with their complicity and symbiosis. They were talking to each other, exchanging soft glances and smiles, laughing.

"They are good for each other."

"Yes, they are." Hashirama bent down and kissed the red head. "And you, dear wife, are perfect for me."

* * *

The night found them dancing more than once until Sakura's feet protested in her shoes. Sitting at their table, they were joined by Madara and, at some point during the night, Hashirama and Mito. Izuna and Ama were nowhere to be found, but they did not make any case of it, knowing how close the two of them were.

Hashirama had brought some alcohol to the table and Sakura drank quite a bit of it to alleviate the pain caused by her footwear. Tobirama was watching her, amused with the way her cheeks would flush and her eyes became bright. The conversations were involving some village politics, and some embarrassing stories about Hashirama that made him blush more than once.

People started to leave slowly as the night went on when Sakura decided to stand and go outside to enjoy the fresh air, bringing a bottle of sake with her. Leaning on the ramp, she looked up at the moon and closed her eyes cheerful. She was warm with all the alcohol she had ingested but did not use chakra to burn it. She could celebrate a little. Uncapping the bottle, she almost drank it all in a few minutes, feeling a little passed tipsy and leaving a few sips in the bottle. Laughing, she thought about her life. What an adventure she had been through! She had just been a witness at the wedding of the first Hokage of Konoha. How crazy was that. Drinking the rest of the bottle, she places it on the ramp. _Life…_

* * *

The shadow that had been following her most of the night took a last glance at her posture on the ramp and feeling a strong chakra coming its way, left its hiding place to go back from where it came. _Soon. _

* * *

Tobirama had been looking for her for a few minutes already when he stepped outside. Her face was caressed by the soft white glow of the night sky and she looked at peace… and slightly drunk. Remembering how she looked the first few weeks she had been to their camp, seeing the contrast today made him relax. She came a long way from the person she had been then. To be one of the witness of her, becoming the person she was now, was quite amazing if he was being honest. Clearing his throat, he caught her attention, and she gave him a groggy smile, intoxicated.

"I can walk you home, if you want me to?" Sakura bowed to him mockingly and smiled up to him.

"Nidaime-sama, I have to refuse the offer since I am an independent woman and can walk on my own, but I would appreciate the company!" An amused glint passe through her eyes and she started running away from him playfully.

Nidaime? Second? Never in their time together had she called him that way. He would have to ask her where this came from. Maybe it was only something her drunk mind thought of? Seeing her getting farther away, a smile found his lips and he shook his head, running after her and feeling like a child.

Chasing her through the garden, his heart warmed up when he heard her happy giggles. A shriek escaped her when he caught her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. Her back was pressed on his chest and she tilted her head backward to look at him. A shiver went through her body and he brought her close, thinking she was cold. Another laugh escaped her, Tobirama observed her, amused.

"How much did you have to drink?"

"Just a little, I swear…" Tobirama rolled his eyes. The way she had a hard time pronouncing her words gave him a hint. It took her a lot of alcohol to get to this point and he knew it since he had carried her the last time she drank this much. Her pouting voice took him out of his thoughts. "My feet hurt. Mito chose the shoes, they are pretty, but so uncomfortable…" Leaning on him, she bent down in order to take them off, but Tobirama was faster than she was and he picked her up, arm under her knees, pressing her against him.

"Let me help you." She snickered and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek and nuzzling his jaw playfully. She was really amusing to care for when she was intoxicated, unlike his brother. There was also a glint of something wonderful in her eyes that made his heart ache. Putting his forehead on hers, he looked in her eyes deeply.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" He was honestly too tired to bring her home and after sleeping in her bed quite a few times, he thought that his bed would be a good option for the night, and way closer.

"Yes, I would like that…"

Nodding, he walked with her in his arms, trying to avoid crowded areas so people would not get any gossip started, and got to his room quite fast. He was not man to take advantage of drunk women and did not want his clansmen to have the wrong ideas. Closing the door behind him with his foot, he took a few steps before to set her down on the bed.

Crouching in front of her, he took her shoes off and put it to the side before to gently massage her bruised feet and her ankles. Sakura's drunk heart melted down at the sight of this powerful man, doing such thing for her. She had to admit, his hands were quite skilled… Realizing where her thoughts were wandering, she blushed and looked passed his shoulder. She just had never thought that Tobirama Senju could be the kind of man to massage her feet like that, but the gesture was much appreciated.

Once done, Tobirama walked to the dresser and pulled out a fresh shirt for her to wear. When he faced her, she was already battling to shrug off her kimono like it was an unpleasant thing making it impossible for her to breathe. Watching her struggle, he almost laughed until the curve of her shoulders and her soft skin peeked out of the material. Understanding that she drank too much to care about being decent, Tobirama's cheeks reddened.

"Sakura, wait-" Turning towards him, the kimono fell from her lithe body, leaving her exposed in front of him. He gulped and froze, not knowing what to do. Her body looked incredible and it made his blood boil in his veins. If he thought she looked stunning dressed in his colors, he had clearly been mistaken. Her naked body was the epitome of perfection. Using all the self-control he could, Tobirama turned his head away from the tempting picture she made and extended his arm, handing her the shirt. Too intoxicated to notice his discomfort, she grabbed the shirt and put it on before to make a beeline for the bed.

Tobirama stood in the same spot he had been in. He was hot and bothered. The image of her body lit by the moonlight in his bedroom was ingrained in his mind and even though he tried, the temptation was too much. Did she trust him that much? Realizing she was already in bed, Tobirama shook his head, trying to snap out of it, and grabbed some clothes for himself. He was not man to fantasize, but the past few weeks, his thoughts got the best of him when he was thinking about her. Knowing that he had to sleep next to her after seeing her perfect body, he would definitely not be able to sleep.

"I'll be back in a few minutes…" Seeing her nod sleepily, he left the room in a bit of a hurry. He knew that if he wanted to come back to his room, he had to take care of his… Problem. So he did.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Tobirama came back to the room, a little more relaxed, but ashamed that he had lost his cool the way he did. Bringing water with him, he set the glass on the nightstand and his eyes roamed to the bed where Sakura was asleep. Mouth slightly agape, she was breathing softly, gripping the blanket tightly. Seeing the small frown on her face, Tobirama forgot about his shame and walked around the bed to slid under the blanket behind her, draping an arm over her. His proximity made her move and she faced him. Her sleepy green eyes opened, and she whispered honestly.

"I never expected to end up here when we first met." Looking down at her, Tobirama raised a questioning eyebrow.

"In the village or in my bed?" Seeing his amused smirk, she shoved his shoulder lightly.

"You know what I mean, I am too tired to argue right now."

"Yes, I know." Bending down, he kissed her softly and tightened his grip around her. "I did not expect it either and I am far from being disappointed." He felt puffs of warm air on his neck when she laughed tiredly.

"Good night Sakura…"

"Night…" Her breathing slowed down, and he was surprise when her lips moved, brushing his collarbone as she whispered. "Tobi?"

"Hm?" His heart almost burst at the way she said his name, but he tried to keep quiet.

"I really like you..." Full of emotions and amused that she could be so honest when drunk, Tobirama bent forward, kissing her forehead. He felt her body relax and she was out a few seconds after that. _I like you too… _But maybe like was not quite the right word to describe the feeling. The white-haired man fell asleep, a smile on his lips.

* * *

Sakura woke up because of the way her head was pounding. It felt like her brain tried to escape her skull. Inhaling deeply, she smiled when she realized where she was. _Tobirama's bedroom… _ Opening her eyes, she saw two broad shoulders. Somehow, during the night, she ended up with her face tucked between his shoulder blades, an arm around his waist and her legs tangled with his. She had most of the blanket, leaving the man covered from the waist down, upper body bare. With the way his skin was radiating with heat, she understood why he was not wearing a shirt. For some reason, with his pale skin she assumed that he would be cold easily. What a misconception. Bringing her chakra lit hands to her head, she felt the soothing chakra removing the headache she had, burning the remnant of alcohol in her blood stream. Once done, she gave a small kiss at the base of the man's neck. Opening his eyes, he turned to face her, sleepily, blinking a few times since the light coming in from the window was shining directly in his eyes. Sakura, seeing his discomfort, sat where she could block the light from his face and looked down at him.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was hoarse, and he proceeded to clear his throat. Slowly, he moved and mirrored her, sitting crossed legged, and rubbed the back of his hair, making it more disorganized. Seeing him in the morning was always something that she thought she never would get used to. The way sleep would leave him, and life would flow in his body, illuminating his eyes and bringing back this impressive presence. To see this vulnerable side of him was a privilege.

Tobirama had to say that waking up next to her would never get old. The small kiss on his neck almost made him melt… And now, watching her, he could not help but to remember the way she called him the night before. Nidaime… Her voice took him out of his thoughts.

"Just a headache, nothing out of the ordinary, but I already took care of it." She beamed at him and grabbing her face gently, he gave her a small kiss. Pulling back, Tobirama took a moment to look into her eyes, like he was searching for something. Not finding anything that could help him with his current train of thoughts, he leaned his forehead on hers for a moment. He was known for overthinking. He could let this go. Right? Sensing around the compound, Tobirama realized that almost everyone was up. Getting out of the bed, he faced her and offered her a hand.

"Let's get out of here, breakfast is ready…" Sakura took his hand happily. Feeling the cold air on her bare legs, Sakura froze. She was not wearing her undergarments and was only covered with his shirt. How did that happen? Did he? No, he would not do that. He was a man of honor and would not take advantage of her like that without her consent. Did she try to take advantage of him? A huff escaped her lips. _Yeah, like you would be able to take advantage of him._ Looking at the kimono on the ground, she fished out her undergarments and wiggled back into them. Glancing around, she realized that she did not have anything else to wear.

Tobirama went to his dresser and grabbed a shirt. When he turned to face her, he stood there, mesmerized. She was standing a few feet away from him, in the soft morning light, legs bare, floating in his clothes. He wished they could stay in the whole day. Looking at her face, he saw her distressed expression when she saw the kimono and realized what she was wearing. A small chuckle escaped his lips and she faced him.

"I can't go for breakfast in this" she said, pointing at the kimono and then pointing at the shirt she had on with wide eyes. "Or this. I need to go home and change…" His chuckle transformed into a laugh and she glared at him. "It is not funny, Tobirama."

"I know. But what _you_ should know is that once drunk, you tend to remove your clothes-" A loud gasp escaped her and she brought her hands to her mouth blushing a shade of red that could have put Mito's hair color to shame.

She had been naked. In front of people? Or in front of him? What did she do? Sakura hid her face in her hands, not able to deal with the amused smirk on his stupid handsome face. Seeing the way the gears were turning in her head, he made his way to her and slowly removed her hands from her face. Searching for her eyes, he smiled softly to her when her emeralds met his crimson eyes. Reaching behind him, he grabbed something and put it in her hand.

"It was just you and me, and I did not look." At that, his face got a bit warm, she did not need to know since it was embarrassing enough to her. When she took in what he gave her, her eyes widened and he continued. "I went to you house and grabbed them yesterday before to get to bed, thought it would be useful." A smirk found his lips when he saw her shoulders relax. She rapidly put on the pants that he had gotten for her the night before and tucked his shirt in them instead of wearing her own. Dropping her shirt on the dresser and faced him, smiling, a little more at ease. Her hair was still wavy and pretty from the night before so once she was dressed properly, they both left the bedroom.

They walked down the halls silently and he held her hand the whole way there, which gave a bounce to her steps. They entered in the dining room at the same time and immediately, six pairs of eyes were on them. The Uchiha brothers, Hashirama, Mito, Ama, and the Yamanaka leader stopped the conversation they were having, taking in the sight in front of them.

Tobirama only wearing his black pants and shirt, his hair sticking out in weird directions. Sakura, wearing the Senju's oversized shirt, blush dusting her cheeks. The thing striking them the most was the way Tobirama held Sakura's hand. Tired of this silent observation, Tobirama glared at everyone in the room, especially at the Yamanaka, who's eyes were roaming on Sakura's body. Getting the man's attention, Tobirama raised an eyebrow, stoic face on.

"What are you all looking at?"

Hashirama placed his head in his palm, tilting it on the side, and gave his brother his best shit-eating grin.

"You tell us what we are looking at, brother."

Not answering, Tobirama made his way around the table to the vacant seats, still holding the medic's hand. He pulled out her chair and helped her to sit before to take place next to her. She whispered a small "Thank you." And he nodded, warm eyes on her. When he faced them, the warmth was gone, and an icy chill went through the Yamanaka's body when the man's crimson eyes met his. The change of temper was quite impressive.

"I don't see why I should since _this _is no one's business." Sakura, seeing his temper flaring, placed a calming hand on his forearm. Looking down at her, his shoulders relaxed slightly, and she gave him a smile. Facing their friends who were still staring at them, Sakura's smile became deadly and her voice could have cut through steel when she talked.

"You should let this one go." At that, Hashirama and the Yamanaka leader gulped audibly and exchanged a scared glance. They would let it go for now.

"They are quite the perfect pair, aren't they?" Madara's voice was teasing and when Sakura met his glance, he could see the amused glint in her eyes. She had not taken it personally, and it was perfect that way. Izuna caught everyone's attention and when all eyes were on him, he let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well, now that everyone is here, Ama and I have something to tell you." Izuna cleared his throat and got up. Looking down at Ama he smiled warmly. "So uhm… Last night, I asked her to marry me and…" With a large grin on his face, he continued. "She said yes!"

Madara's eyes widened and he froze for a moment, head snapping towards his younger brother. Jumping on his feet, he clasped his brother's shoulder and squeezed it, not able to find the words. The two Uchiha brothers just looked at each other for a few seconds before Madara could talk.

"Congratulations, brother." Not able to say more, he wrapped his brother in a strong embrace. Letting him go, he took a step back and his eyes met Sakura's. The young medic was already walking towards the couple and gave a hug to Ama.

"When do you think you'll get married?" Sakura's question was directed to the young Uchiha. Izuna beamed and looking at Ama, shrugged.

"We thought in a month or two. It would give some time to the Hyuga to settle?" His questioning glance met Hashirama's warm brown eyes.

"This sounds perfect to me!"

"Yes indeed…" Madara's voice was calm, and looking his way, Sakura understood that the man was emotional and was still processing the fact that his little brother was getting married. After living at war for so long, it was quite surreal to say that they were now able to settle. He had almost forgotten that. That each one of them deserved a life like this.

The happy group spent the rest of the breakfast celebrating the good news. The Yamanaka left not too long after the announcement, feeling like this celebration was better between them.

* * *

After that morning, a week passed and Sakura had been busier that she had ever been since she got to the Senju camp. The hospital was crowded with new patients and new apprentices, nurses and personnel. On top of everything, she had Ama's training to continue so the woman could be her equal and take over for her when she could not be there. _Or when I would leave… _Recently, this thought would creep in her head often and she was dismissing it. She did not know if she wanted to leave anymore.

Sakura entered one of the exam room where a Uchiha was waiting for her with a gash running for a few inches on his arm. The cut had probably been caused by a katana and was too deep for it to heal naturally. Looking at the man's chart, she put it back in the pocket next to the door, the injury being exactly what she had expected. She grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the table. Looking at the man, she remembered him being the one who previously called her a "Senju whore". Shaking the thought from her head, she motioned for him to give her his arm.

"Let me see the cut." The man scowled and with reluctance, gave her his arm. Disinfecting it, she then used her soothing chakra to knit the muscles and the skin together. The man avoided her look the whole time and she could feel his anger rolling out in waves. Once she was done, she signed the papers and gave it to him with some safety instruction. Before he could take the paper, she put it out of reach and it forced him to meet her eyes for the first time.

"Have I done anything to you? You don't seem to like me very much."

"I can see that you are not as stupid as you look." With that being said, the man grabbed the paper and walked passed her, hitting her shoulder on the way out before to leave. Sakura stood there bemused. She did not know how she could have offended the man, but sometimes, there were some people that did not connect no matter what. Shrugging her shoulders, Sakura put the equipment back and went to the other exam room. Some Uchiha and Senju still were getting used to their new lives in the village. It would take time for everything to feel right. Putting back the equipment where it belonged, Sakura left the room, continuing with her day.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went by without any problems and two hours before the end of her shift, she decided to go and tackle some of the paperwork that had accumulated since the wedding. She opened the door and hung her white coat on the back of her char.

Looking outside the window for a few minutes, she stretched. _Here we go! _She was ready to start her work until, taking the first folder of the pile, a piece of paper fell out. Frowning, Sakura took it and unfolded it. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw what was written on it. She did not have the time to think about it more, since Tobirama entered her office. Jumping on her feet, she hid the paper behind her back rapidly, mustering the best smile she could.

Seeing her tensed form, the man tilted his head, wondering why she looked like she saw a ghost. He knew that her nightmares made her nervous, but this was new. Her smile did not reach her eyes and if he was not mistaken, her hand shook slightly. Had he scared her, not announcing himself before to step in?

Sakura quickly put the paper in the medical pouch she was wearing on the back of her hip and motioned for him to come in the office, still smiling.

"Tobirama, what are you doing here?"

"I was on my way home but thought that you might be almost done here. Do you want to have dinner with me?"

Taking in the stack of papers on her desk, Sakura thought about staying, but the fact that someone had been in her office without anyone noticing made her feel uneasy. Closing the file she had opened, she stretched and made her way around her desk.

"Sure!" Walking passed him rapidly, she avoided his eyes. A frown found his face. What caused her to be so tense? Knowing that prying with her was a bad idea, he sighed. She would tell him when she would be ready.

Walking behind her, they made their way to the teashop across the hospital. Sakura was eating and trying to hold her conversation with Tobirama, but the words she read were still haunting her mind. Someone was really following her. And this someone was bold enough to leave a note in her office. She was perplex as to the meaning of those words…

_We know everything._

What exactly did they know?


	24. Chapter 24

Note: I thought about making two chapters out of this one. BUT since I made you wait almost two weeks for it, I decided to combine it into a single chapter. Hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Have an amazing weekend:)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 24

Did they really know? What did they know exactly? Her being from the future? This would have been quite unlikely. She had not even shared details on her previous life. Vague stories, yes. But otherwise, nothing that could have given her away.

Chewing on her lip, she focused her attention back to the man in front of her. It was probably nothing, right? Someone was probably only teasing her. That must have been it. Ignoring the nagging feeling in her guts, Sakura pushed the situation aside. It was a bad joke. Nothing real. Giving her best smile to Tobirama, they continued to eat while talking about the progress they were both making in their respective fields.

While she talked to him, Tobirama thought back on the way she seemed… scared when he walked in her office. She hid something behind her back but knowing how she could be sometimes and her need of privacy, he knew better than to ask questions. The whole walk to the restaurant, she had a small frown on her face and even though she tried to listen to him, he knew too well that she was distracted.

He had to wonder if he had done anything wrong. Maybe the way he acted towards her the morning after the wedding had been too much? Be he had thought that she was fine with that. With him being close to her and showing it to their mutual friends. When the conversation fell, he took the time to observe her. She was looking outside, and he could almost see a hint of worry in her deep emeralds. Before he could stop himself, words left his mouth.

"Is everything ok." Her head snapped back in his direction and she sent a questioning glance his way. "You seem distracted." He watched as she held her breath for a second, thinking about her answer. Waving her hand dismissively, she grabbed her teacup with absent fingers.

"Everything is alright. It was just a very long week." She smiled to him and his heart constricted when her smile did not meet her eye. She was lying to him. About what? He thought they were passed that, but it seemed that she still felt the need to keep things from him…

Sakura, seeing the way his mood changed after her answer, grabbed his hand, tracing a pattern on it with her finger, and caught his eyes with hers.

"Everything is good, nothing you should worry about." And there again, with the way her voice sounded he figured that she had lied to him. Again. Frowning, Tobirama squeezed her hand back and getting on his feet, helped her up.

"Come, I will walk you home. I am still needed at the office."

Thinking that she had put his worries at ease, Sakura gave him a bright smile, holding his hand on her way home. They made it to her front door pretty quickly and she raised on the tip of her toes, kissing him softly. Tobirama reciprocated the kiss after a moment, and when he pulled away, Sakura's heart felt warm and fuzzy.

"Tobirama, I…" Realizing what she had been about to say, she closed her mouth and blushed. "I mean, have a good night." Noticing her hesitation, he remembered the way she had acted during their dinner and could not help but to feel hurt. Trying to act as normal as possible, he bent forward and kissed her forehead, where her seal stood proudly.

"You too." His whisper almost sounded dry and this is when she realized that he knew things were not as great as she said they were. Squeezing her hand one last time, he turned his back on her and started to make his way to the office. He needed to think.

Watching his back disappear in the night, she sighed and closed the door. Leaning on it, she ran a tired hand in her hair.

_I will be fine. Everything will be fine._

* * *

How wrong she had been. Since the day she had found this paper in her office, she felt followed every time she was getting out of her house or out of the hospital. Constantly. She had noticed that, surprisingly, no one was following her when she had dinners at the Uchiha compound, or when she had company. Whoever was tailing her was scared or at least intimidated by the clan leaders.

Over the week she had found other notes, but for some reason, they all seemed unimportant and less threatening than the first one. Until… Today.

It was already dark when she went to her office to gather her things. An unpleasant feeling twisted her guts when she saw the familiar piece of paper, neatly folded on the desk. Gulping, she picked it up.

_You will pay._

Pay for what? Since she had appeared in the past, she had only done good things, healing everyone… She had stopped a war, for Kami's sake! Crumpling the paper in her hand, she put it in her back pouch with all the others. She was angry that someone could feel empowered enough to do something like that to her. But giving into the panic would only mean that she was letting whoever was playing with her win. Shaking her head, Sakura went back to the lobby and almost ran into Madara, who was talking with Kaiya, her apprentice. Seeing her pale face and feeling her anger rolling off her in waves, Madara excused himself and grabbed Sakura's shoulders before she could walk past him.

"Hey Sakura, are you ok?" Meeting his concerned gaze, Sakura snapped out of her weird mood.

"Yeah, I am fine." About to leave the hospital, Sakura stopped and came back towards the Uchiha leader. "Would you mind walking me home?"

Raising an eyebrow, Madara had to wonder why she felt like she needed him to walk her. She was never asking anyone to do so… Anyone except Tobirama. Had something happened between the two of them? Understanding that she might have been needing some silent company, Madara nodded to her.

"I don't mind." Leading the way, he walked out with her and together, they started their walk to the house silently. He could see the gears turning in her head and her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Something was stressing her out. He knew that if it really bothered her, she would eventually tell him what was on her mind, so for now, Madara just stayed by her side.

Once they arrived at her front porch, she faced him, still distracted.

"Would you like some tea? It's the least I can do to thank you." Trying to read her emeralds, Madara hesitated before to nod.

Silently, she turned around and entered her house without another word. Madara followed her inside and installed himself at the kitchen table. He watched her as she prepared the tea. Tensed shoulders, frown plastered on her face… He almost fell out of his chair when she abruptly faced him and asked:

"Can you stay with me tonight?" Sitting back in his chair, he cleared his throat, feeling his face becoming warmer. Trying to find the right words, he stuttered.

"Sakura, I don't-" Seeing how her words could have been interpreted, Sakura shook her head vehemently, eyes widening.

"No, no! Nothing like that, I swear I-" Sending him an angry glance she continued, a hand on her hip. "Wait a minute, who do you think I am?!"

A chuckle left him, and he ducked to avoid the spoon that was thrown his way. Smiling to her, he relaxed, leaning back in his chair.

"I am messing with you. But why do you need me to stay?" Eyes boring into hers, Madara tried to figure out what was going on with the pink haired medic. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times before she exhaled and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I am just feeling anxious recently, and Tobirama has been so busy, picking up Hashirama's slack that I don't want to bother him." Madara observed her for a moment and realized that she must have been more than anxious if she had resorted to ask him to stay the night. With everything she was doing for them, he could definitely do this for her.

"Yes, I can stay if you want me to. I will sleep on the couch." With a grateful nod, Sakura shoulders slumped forward a little.

"Thank you…" Madara eyed her for a moment, wondering what caused her to be this anxious, but knowing of her past, maybe she had some things to work through. They drank their teas and a few minutes later she was already up and cleaning the cups. Going to the closet, she got a blanket and a pillow and helped him to prepare the couch for the night. Before to go in her bedroom, she turned back, facing him, and had to stop herself from laughing. Who would have thought that the great Madara Uchiha would be laying on her couch to keep her company like that… Amused, she told him goodnight before to get in her bedroom. Feeling safe now that she was not on her own, she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

* * *

_The stench of war was surrounding her, and Sakura closed her eyes tightly, knowing how the dream would go. But to her surprise, when she looked around, there was no one. Nothing. _

_"Sakura-chan, they are close. Be careful…" Naruto's voice was echoing around her and she turned around trying to find him. Feeling something in her hand, she opened it and found a piece of paper. She almost gagged seeing it neatly folded, but when she opened it, she frowned. A seal she had never seen was drawn on the paper. Trying to memorize it, she crumpled the small paper in her hand and woke up. _

* * *

When her eyes snapped open, Sakura sighed. At least this was not as scary and disturbing as all the other nightmares she had. If you could call this one a nightmare... Remembering the seal from her dream, she took a brush and quickly drew it on one of the scrolls near her bed. She would have to study it later. As for being careful, she knew that Naruto was right. She would try to be more cautious from now on. Of what? She did not know, but she would have to be.

Remembering the man that stayed to her place the previous night, she left her bedroom and on the couch was the blanket folded and the pillow sitting on top of it. Nothing showed the fact that he had been there. He probably left the house before the sun came up.

Sakura went back to her bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She still appeared to be quite tired, but not as much as she did the previous weeks. It was great, all things considered! Picking some clothes out of her drawers, she put them on and quickly left for work. If the past week were anything to go by, she would have a lot to do today again. But today would be a good day.

* * *

When noon arrived, she exited an exam room to find Tobirama waiting for her in front of the nurse station. When her eyes met his she could not help the warmth that traveled through her chest. Smiling to him, she saw the way affection filled his crimson eyes. It did not go unnoticed by a few nurses who now were giggling at the way the strong Senju's cold demeanor could melt in an instant when he saw the pink haired medic. With an icy glare behind the man, Sakura made them stop.

Stepping until she stood in front of the man, she grabbed his forearm and in with familiar hand signs, they both disappeared, leaving the nurses looking at each other with a knowing look.

Since the marriage, they barely saw each other and with the way their last dinner ended, she wanted to make sure that he was ok. He too had been busy. In total, they only had time for some lunch or quick dinners, here and there. One frustrating thing was that when she was done early, he was working into the wee hours of the night and when she was working late, he was the one to be done with work early. She had been lucky to be able to see him this afternoon and was determined to enjoy every minutes of her lunch break.

They both reappeared on top of the cliff and a bright smile found Sakura's face when she realized that he had already brought the takeout to their spot. They ate quickly, enjoying each other's presence and the rest of the break found them basking in the sun. Tobirama was laying on his back, one hand behind his head and Sakura was perpendicular to him, head on his powerful chest, gazing at the clouds. His other hand found a strand of her pink hair that he was twisting between his fingers.

This moment was perfection. Only the two of them, together, enjoying the sun. She could feel the slow rise and fall of his chest when he was breathing, the regular beating of his heart… Raising her head, she twisted her body a little to face him and when her eyes met his, she grinned.

"I missed you these past few days." He stayed silent for a moment, trying to see if she was hiding anything, but he saw in her bright green orbs that she was being painfully honest. With a thick voice that surprised him, he was able to answer.

"I missed you too." Fingers grazing her cheek, he huffed, leaning his head back. "More clans asked to join us recently and we are buried under the paperwork. You know Hashirama, he can't work for more than five minutes before to disappear god knows where, so I have been working for the two of us." She nodded and he did not miss her faraway look. "Are you ok? I know that last time we had dinner you were acting strangely…"

"Hm? Oh yes, I am fine." He was not convinced, but she sounded honest compared to the last time they had talked. Maybe she did not lie to him then. Maybe she only had been tired… Sitting, she faced him. "Just a lot going on at work, yet again." She rubbed her eyes and stretched. She was telling him the truth… How odd. Copying her, he sat and faced her. Cupping her face, he looked deep into her beautiful eyes.

"You would let me know if there was anything going on, right?" She nodded and he could not help the nagging feeling in his guts. Shrugging it off, Tobirama looked at her a moment longer before to bend forward and kiss her senseless. He felt her answering to his kiss with the same passion and her arms wrapped around his neck tightly. When she pulled away to get some air, she had a large smile on her lips and a pretty blush. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, Tobirama sighed.

"Unfortunately, I think it's time for the both of us to get back to work." A small pout found her face and he could not help the chuckle that left him. Gathering their things, they walked back to the hospital, taking their time. At the front door, he bent forward quickly and kissed her before to leave, still having a weird feeling in his chest.

When Sakura walked in the hospital, she was assaulted by nurses who let her know that she had a patient waiting in the operation room for her._ Here we go again!_ Getting in the room, Sakura started on her work.

* * *

Tobirama was in the office, alone with Madara. Reviewing some of the request sent to them by other clans, he paused, sighing. Madara raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Anything on your mind that you would like to share?"

Caught, Tobirama mumbled a "no" and went back to work. After trying to read the same line six times, he threw the document on his desk, rubbing his eyes.

"And they say that I have anger issues…" Madara chuckled when the young Senju glared at him. Becoming more serious, the Uchiha leader put his brush down. "Spit it out. What is going on?"

Eyeing the Uchiha warily, Tobirama did not know if he wanted to talk about Sakura with the man. On the other hand, the Uchiha was really close to her, so maybe he knew things that himself did not. Leaning his head in his palm, Tobirama sent an even look to Madara, weighing his options before to voice his concerns.

"Sakura has been acting strange lately. I am not sure why." Running a frustrating hand in his hair, the young Senju crossed his arms on his chest.

"I noticed too, but I don't know more than you do. Her work is stressful and with the new clans coming in the village, it is probably hard to keep track of everything… I am sure she is fine."

Seeing that Tobirama was back in his thoughts, Madara grabbed a scroll and continued his work. Tobirama sat there. It was true that it had been quite a change with the arrival of three new clans. The office was swamped, and he could not even imagine how busy she might have been. With the construction of new houses, a lot of people were getting injured, and on top of that, the shinobi population had grown which meant more complicated injuries for her to treat…

A flash of her pink hair and the way she ran away from him in the garden the night of his brother's wedding appeared in his mind and Tobirama smile inwardly. She had the worst timing to plague his thoughts with her soft eyes and her creamy skin… Suddenly, he remembered the way she had called him that night.

"Madara?" The Uchiha looked up from the paperwork to see the faraway look on the white haired Senju's face.

"Hn?"

"Would you happen to know why Sakura would call me Nidaime-sama? She never used this word since we've known each other, which strike me as odd…" Madara put down his brush and leaned forward on the desk.

"Nidaime? Second? Probably because you are the second child in your family…"

"Hn…"

The only thing was that he did not remember telling her that he was the second one. He remembered talking about his other brothers, but not the order of their births. Interesting. Maybe she had been told by someone else?

* * *

Sakura left the operating room three hours later and decided to get started on her round. When she had made sure that all the patients were doing fine, she walked back to her office and stopped a few feet from the door. This wing of the hospital seemed too quiet. Normally, nurses were running back in forth in this hallway… Senses in high alert, she drew out a kunai. Opening the door of her office slowly, a peculiar scent caught her attention. Her eyes widened.

"They did not…"

Smelling the smoke, Sakura pushed chakra through her legs and jumped away from the door before the detonation of the paper bomb. Fire blazed out of her office and still being too close, the flames licked her skin, burning a large piece of the right side of her body. Feeling her skin sizzle, she took in a pained breath and looked at the damages. The burn went from her right forearm to the side of her face. Looking around, she realized that her office was completely destroyed. It could have been her. For a moment, she thanked Tsunade and her dodging training since her reflexes were the reason why she was still standing. Alive. Burnt, but alive.

Hearing hurried footsteps coming towards her, Sakura snapped her head up and saw Kaiya Uchiha coming her way.

"Sakura-sama, I heard a-" the Uchiha paused. "Are you alright?!" Panic in her voice, the small black-haired woman took sight of the burnt skin on Sakura's arm and the smoke coming out of the office.

"I am fine, please go report this to Madara and Hashirama, I will take care of things here." The young woman nodded and ran out of the hospital. Looking back at her arm, she sighed, it would be a pain to heal this burn. She would need to rehydrate the skin and-

Seeing a movement from the corner of her eyes, she turned her head and saw a shadow disappearing around the corner. Did the person come to check and make sure she was dead? Knowing this hall lead to an exit, Sakura ran behind the person. She would not let something like this go unpunished. Pushing the door, she was now standing outside, alone.

Not feeling the attack coming, she was hit from behind, the blow making her tumble face first in the dirt. Grunting under the pain caused by the burn skin catching on the gravel, she stood back on her feet, taking in her opponent. Or should she say… Opponents. Two tall men with their faces veiled stood in front of her. Clearly trained shinobis since their fighting stances were flawless. Their eyes were a normal color, one had blue eyes, the other had brown eyes. Nothing that could tell from which village they were, or which clan, for that matter…

In tandem, they send jutsus her way. One sent an earth jutsu, and while she dodged the first attack, the other man tried to get her with a wind jutsu. Not able to avoid a third attack, which was a mud wall coming her way, she braced for the impact. When the wall hit her full force, she was sent flying backward and her body slammed against the hospital wall. By trying to slow down the blow with her arm as well as catch her rapid fall, she extended her arm in front of her. Sakura let out a yelp when she felt her left arm crack, clearly broken, if the new angle of her forearm was something to go by.

Getting back on her feet, the medic winced. The men in front of her eyed her with contempt and amusement. Seeing her struggle made them feel good it looked like. She would definitely erase the smug look off their faces.

Taking in her general condition, she could only fight with one arm and would not have the time to heal herself fast enough… Using her seal was out of the question for now. She had to hold them at bay. She had to find a solution. To have a chance in this fight, she needed to get closer. Looking back up, she met one of the men's eyes with a savage smile. She knew just what to do.

* * *

Tobirama and Madara were still in the office when Kaiya barged in, breathing heavily. The two men looked at her, surprised. The woman looked like she ran from one side of the village to the other! Noticing the fear in her eyes, Tobirama put down his brush. Her eyes locked with Madara's and when she found her voice, it was trembling.

"Someone put an explosive in Sakura-sama's office!"

Tobirama's heart fell. Someone did what? Without realizing, he ended up on his feet and was in front of the woman, grabbing her shoulders. Madara not far behind him.

"Is she ok?!" His voice was steady and methodic, but inside, worry clawed his heart. He had to know in order to plan their next moves.

"She was when I left."

Both men looked at each other and facing Madara, Tobirama did his signature hand sign after grabbing the tall Uchiha's shoulder. They reappeared in front of the hospital, startling some people and ran inside going through the familiar hallways. When they got to her office, she was nowhere to be found. Smoke and leftover flames were licking the walls. With a quick water justu, Tobirama extinguished the fire and searched around for the woman.

"Where is she?" Both men looked at each other and suddenly heard fighting sounds coming from outside. Frowning, they ran towards the door leading to the courtyard.

* * *

Sakura had decided to take a page out of Zabuza's book. Knowing that one of her arms was not in working condition, she decided to place a kunai between her teeth, clenching her jaw to hold it tightly. Grabbing another kunai in her working hand, Sakura looked up at the two men. One of them laughed and it was his mistake.

Moving forward, Sakura charged the brown-eyed man relentlessly, using everything she knew of taijutsu and close combat. Blocking a hit with her arm, she used her weight to her advantage and while doing a flip to get back on her feet, she was able to cut one of the man's calf and leave a long gash on his side. When her left foot touched the ground, she spun around, raising her right leg and kicked the man square in the jaw. The man took a few steps backward, limping and spitting blood, his jaw hanging weirdly. He cursed and his eyes held pure rage.

"You bitch!"

She had almost been able to cut higher, but had to put distance between them, seeing the way his companion tried to attack her. The blue-eyed man charged and kept her busy. She was evading each blow and trying to land a hit on him, which made her forget about the injured man for a moment. Not seeing the kunai coming her way until the last minute, Sakura tried to lean back far enough, but the weapon left a nasty cut on her face. Surprised when the stinging pain registered in her brain, Sakura twisted her body to get out of the close combat she was in, but not being fast enough, the air left her lungs when her opponent landed a kick in her stomach and a punch to her jaw.

She fell on the ground, dropping her kunai and spitting blood. Before she could get on her feet, a weapon embedded itself in her thigh. _Fuck._ Biting her tongue not to let out a sound, Sakura hopped back on her feet, careful as to not putting as much weight on her injured leg. Things were getting worst with every passing minutes…

"Would you look at that... Pinky still has some fight in her!" The blue-eyed man laughed, and it was enough for her to find the strength she needed to keep fighting. They thought she was weak. Appearances could be surprising sometimes and they would realize this soon enough. She was not weak. She was strong and would not back down. Pushing a bloody strand of hair from her face, Sakura smiled coldly.

"Call me Pinky one more time and we will see if you can laugh after my kunai slice your throat open, asshole." Spitting blood at his feet Sakura tucked the kunai back between her teeth and grabbed a handful of shurikens in her working hand. Throwing them at the men, she charged forward, seeing that they were both focused on deflecting the weapons. It was hard to keep her balance with the shooting pain in her thigh, but she had to push through. The feeling of her blood flowing from the cut on her face, angered her and her eyes were determined and focus. Calculating. She could do this. For her. For this life she had here. To prove herself that she was something more than what she had been before.

* * *

When Madara and Tobirama exited the hospital, their eyes widened at the scene waiting for them. Sakura was there, facing two opponents, her left arm was bent in an impossible position, she had blood flowing from the side of her head to her cheek and it was dripping down her chin. They heard her threatening the man who laughed at her and did not doubt for a second that she would make good on that promise. They could see a kunai stuck in her leg, but looking at her eyes, they understood that she did not care. Nor was she scared. She was ready for battle and planning her next move.

Tobirama's eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw the kunai clenched between her teeth and seeing what she held in her other hand, he had a good idea of the strategy she planned to use. The white-haired man had never seen her fighting other than during their sparring session, but this was different. Even though heavily wounded, she looked like a war goddess to him. Her green eyes burning with anger and even considering her petite frame, he could feel her chakra spiking with the thrill of the fight, though it was getting really low. She was a strong kunoichi and it left him in awe of her.

After throwing the shuriken, she directly charged at the men. Dodging a katana, she landed a kick on the chest of the brown eyed man who tumbled backward because of his injured leg. She grabbed a kunai from her pouch rapidly while he was on the ground and threw it at him. Her aim was a bit off since she had to roll away from the blue-eyed man's weapon coming for her head. Hearing a thump and a curse, she understood that her kunai had hit the mark. With a bloody smile, kunai still clenched in her mouth, she looked up to meet the eyes of the man standing above her, ready to give her a final blow with his katana.

Madara and Tobirama were about to intervene, but a look at the woman and they stopped in their track. The great Madara Uchiha would never admit it but seeing her smile the way she did made him shiver. She looked merciless and he had a hard time to remember that this was their sweet Sakura. He was glad to be her friend and not the man standing before her. Tobirama, on the other hand, felt the urge to be closer to her, warmth pooling in his stomach. What an amazing woman she was… Heavily wounded, she was still steps ahead of her enemies. Seeing her this way should not have turned him on, but it totally did…

Not analyzing the situation he was in, the blue-eyed man raised his katana to give the final blow and shivered, seeing the pleased glint in her green eyes. When his arm came down, Sakura grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, twisted his wrist to distance the katana from her, and pulled his body close while she jumped forward. The kunai between her teeth directly entered in contact with the man's throat, slicing it open, blood gushing and staining her face. Grabbing his shoulders, Sakura spat the kunai on the ground and smiled coldly to him, meeting his scared gaze, while his last breath left his lips.

"Try to laugh, now."

Tobirama took in her feral expression. Being covered from the blood of her enemy did not seem to faze her. She was really a battle hardened kunoichi. She could heal as good as she could kill. She had seen war and her lack of reaction at the feel of her enemy's blood splattered on her face and the way she fought even if heavily wounded proved him that she had probably been through hell and back before. No one was acquiring this kind of immunity without living through something horrible, and for that, he respected her even more and so did the Uchiha leader.

The man's corpse slumped on the ground as she released it, and she slowly turned around to give a warning smile to the other man. She had not planned on him having time to remove the weapon she had thrown at him from his body and get on his uninjured leg, but he did. Grabbing her last kunai from her pouch, she attacked him.

His Katana met her kunai and infusing chakra to his sword, he threw her backward with the blow. She tried to land on her feet but ended up on her knees. When she tried to get back up, her legs shook, and she slumped back into her kneeling position. Taking a deep breath, she tried again only to slump forward and land face first on the ground heavily, panting under the pain shooting in her sore limbs.

"God damn it." The curse left her clenched teeth. Raising her eyes, she knew she could not fight anymore. After all those surgeries and the way she had pushed her body, she had nothing left to give.

Seeing the man ready to attack her, Tobirama threw his marked kunai and appeared in front of her in time to block the blow with his own katana. White hot rage was burning in his veins. Madara, who followed him running grabbed the attacker from behind, throwing him against the tree. Sharingan spinning wildly, he looked the man in the eyes and trapped him in a genjutsu. Tobirama was making his way furiously to the enemy, ready to cut his head from his shoulders and was surprised when Madara grabbed his shoulder with a bruising hold, not letting him go forward.

"We still need him. We have to interrogate him." Taking in a deep breath, the white-haired man grinded his teeth, not pleased. A pained hiss made him snap out of his rage and he found himself kneeling in front of Sakura in a heartbeat.

He grabbed her face softly and when her lucid eyed met his, exhaled a relieved breath, realizing how worried he had been. Not knowing what to say, he helped her into a sitting position. Her body was shaking. He only noticed now the burn on her right side and with prudent fingers, touched the skin there, a frown on his face. Someone had attacked her. Someone wanted her dead. Leaning her forehead on his, she tried to catch his attention.

"Hey, I am alive." His eyes snapped back to hers. Even wounded and covered in blood, her expression was soft. "Thank you for the help…" Tobirama did not know what to say, struggling with unwanted feelings. To observe her this way made him upset and yet, he knew she was alive and well… Seeing that she had trouble to stay in her sitting position, Tobirama pushed away his thoughts and sat behind her, legs on both sides of her, so she could lean back on his chest.

He did not like the smell of her blood. Of her burnt skin. He hated it. It brought him back to the battlefield where she had taken a katana for him and where he could have lost her for good. He felt her move and looked over her shoulder just in time to see her remove the weapon from her thigh. When she did, a pained groan left her throat and instinctively, he reached forward and grabbed her hand tightly. After the wave of pain passed, she brought her valid hand to her leg, healing the damage. She then proceeded to heal her face with a shaky hand. Her chakra wavered slightly and the frown on Tobirama's face deepened.

Madara was standing in front of them and crouched in front of her. The Uchiha was also battling with his anger. Seeing her injured would never sit well with him and right now he made sure that his genjutsu was a painful one. Taking a deep breath, he focused his attention on the medic.

"Do you know why they attacked you?" Sakura met his eyes and shook her head.

"No." Something in the way she answered told Madara that she was not telling him everything. Nodding towards her broken arm, she looked back in his onyx. "Can you help me put the bone back in its place please?"

Madara looked at her arm and back at her, eyebrows raising at the demand. He had never done such things to other people… Sure, he had placed his bones back into place and he knew how painful it could be. Doing it to someone else was another thing. He did not want to cause her any more pain. Seeing her pained frown, the man went back into his battle-ready focus. She was already feeling her load of discomfort and this arm needed to get fixed. Grabbing her wrist and the part near her elbow, Madara whispered a small sorry before to snap the bone back into place. The feeling of the pieces of bones rubbing together almost made her throw up under the intense ache.

"Motherfucker…" The curse escaped her lips as she bent forward exhaling loudly, groaning. Tobirama grabbed her shoulder and brought her back to lean on his chest. A laugh escaped her when she took in Madara's astounded expression. "I am sorry, I did not mean that." She could have sworn that she felt Tobirama laugh behind her. Becoming more serious, she met both their eyes. "How did you know I was back here?"

"Kaiya came and told us about the explosion, when we arrived, you were not near your office, but we were able to find you soon after." Leaning a bit more into Tobirama's chest, Sakura exhaled, and her shoulders relaxed.

"Thank you for letting me fight… And for intervening when I could not." A small chuckle left Tobirama and bending forward, he whispered, lips brushing her ear.

"I remember the last time I fought when you had it "under control" and do not want to repeat the experience." Sakura was silent for a moment, enjoying the feeling that his whisper brought in her body. Now was not the time to think about that. The memory he talked about strike her and she knew he was talking about the first time she met Izuna. The time where she had been sparring with him and straddling him after she won the spar… A tired snicker left her lips, and she grabbed the man's hand.

Realizing that she had not healed her arm, Madara frowned.

"You are not going to finish the healing?"

"No, I think it would be good practice for Ama, can you help me up?" Tobirama stood up and helped her in the process, warm hand on her waist, mostly carrying her on his side. He locked eyes with Madara.

"Bring the man to the Yamanaka, they might be able to find something. Also, could you brief my brother about what happened?" Madara understood that the young Senju had no plans on leaving the woman's side today, and he did not blame him at all. Grunting noncommittally, he slung the corpse over his shoulder and the body of the unconscious man on the other.

* * *

Madara was careful to avoid any public places while carrying the two men and ended up in front of Hashirama's house knocking on the door. It opened and with that came a frustrated Hashirama.

"Madara, what is-" He stopped talking seeing the bodies on his friend's shoulder. "What did you do, again?" Raising an eyebrow, Madara took a step back.

"Again? What is that supposed to mean!" Seeing Hashirama about to answer, Madara shook his head. "No, not important. Something happened." Pointing to the bodies on his friend's shoulders, Hashirama put a hand on his hip.

"Yes, I can see. You have corpses on your shoulders."

"One corpse. The other one is still alive."

"Ah. That does not make it sound better, Madara. This is the reason why you do not have many friends… What did they do to you for you to-"

"Not to me, to Sakura! Will you listen to me instead of assuming stupid things!" Seeing the vein on his friend's forehead, the brown-haired man nodded, now serious.

"I am listening." Rolling his eyes Madara told him about the explosion and the fight they had witnessed. He also told Hashirama about Tobirama's idea to bring the man that was still alive to the Yamanaka to go through his brain and find possible clues.

"Brilliant, Madara. Lock him up, we can take care of this tomorrow. Now, if you don't mind, Mito is waiting for me! See ya!" With a cheeky blink, Hashirama closed the door in his friend's face.

Madara turned around and looked up at the sky, shaking his head. _Kami help me, this man is getting on my last nerve._

Getting back to the compound, Madara left the unconscious man under the care of some of his clansmen and brought the corpse of the other man outside the village, disposing of it with a powerful fire jutsu.

* * *

When Tobirama and Sakura entered the hospital, Ama came running and saw Sakura's state. The pink haired medic gave her apprentice a pained smile.

"Ready for some training?!" Ama's eyes widened.

"You certainly do not mean th-"

"Yes. It hurts so please, don't make me repeat myself, Ama." Nodding the woman went in one of the room and prepared it for Sakura. Tobirama helped her to sit on the exam table and stood behind who Sakura gave her broken arm to Ama and reviewed with her the steps to properly mend a bone that was fractured. The Senju listened and applied the steps perfectly under Sakura's focused gaze. It was obviously not her first time doing it.

Once the arm healed, Sakura went on to explain how to rehydrate and heal burnt skin on someone using water. She told Ama that it was almost like the poison extraction technique, but instead of removing a substance from the cells, it was to force the them to take in the moisture.

Tobirama stood there, impassible, but he was listening avidly. The way Sakura was teaching her science was incredible. She knew so much and when Ama did not understand, she was able to find another example that was easier to apply. It was only when Ama cut and peeled off Sakura's sleeve that had been burnt to her skin that Tobirama realized how large the injured area was.

Three quarter of her arm and half of her neck was charred. Ama started working on the damaged skin and slowly made her way up. It took a few hours to complete the procedure, and by the time they were done, the sun was setting, but Sakura's arm as good as new. The only thing betraying the accident was the slight pinkish tint that the new skin had. Ama wiped sweat from her brows and Sakura grabbed her shoulder.

"You did well, now go and rest, I will stay-"

"Out of the question, Sakura-sama. You go home. I will stay here. Medic's order." Sakura looked at her apprentice and was about to argue when Tobirama shook his head.

"I agree with her. _You_ are coming with me. No discussion." Ama smiled and left the room, feeling like the young Senju was better placed to handle Sakura's stubbornness.

"Tobirama, I am fine, I can work." Tobirama looked at her with a small smile and wrapping his arms around her. Thinking nothing of it, Sakura leaned into his embrace. Behind his back, Tobirama made his hand sign and they were now standing in front of her house. She pushed him away and growled.

"I am capable do my job!" She felt the shift in his mood and suddenly, he was in front of her, angry.

"Can't you do what normal person would do after an event like this and rest for a day?" The words striking a chord in her, Sakura's anger flared and she poked her index in the middle of his armored chest.

"You tell me that, but you would be the first one back at work as soon as your feet would be out of the hospital." Crossing her arms in front of her, Sakura tilted her head on the side, waiting for his answer. She was so stubborn. Rubbing his face tiredly, Tobirama's voice softened.

"We are not talking about me, are we?" Sakura turned her back on him, pouting. He was good with word, that was a fact. Realizing the truth behind his words, a wave of tiredness washed over her. She knew he was not angry at her. He was only looking out for her.

He knew he had won when her shoulders slumped forward. Taking a few steps forward, Tobirama placed his hand on her forearm and steered her to the house. Once inside, she took a few step and froze, her back turned on him while he was taking off his armor.

It was like all the events of the day caught up to her. Like a wave crashing into her and pushing her head under water where she desperately wanted to breathe. She could have died. If Madara and Tobirama had not been there she would probably be dead. What would he have done if she were dead? She had been lucky enough to have another life given to her and she had not been scared to leave this place until now. Leave him…

Tobirama was standing behind her, wondering why her whole mood had changed all of a sudden and when she finally faced him, her eyes were full of tears and he could see how scared she had been for a moment. He would never admit it out loud, but the same thoughts were plaguing his mind when he had been standing behind her in the hospital, watching her as she explained medical procedures like nothing happened.

Grabbing her shoulder, he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Her arms snaked around his waist and she held him close, like she was afraid of letting him go. Her body was slightly shaking, and this is when he pulled back, looking into her eyes. Even without talking, her emeralds were expressive enough for him to understand every single thoughts running through her mind. He would have kissed her to make it better, but her face was full of dried blood.

"Let's get you cleaned up…" His voice was barely above a whisper and she followed him when he grabbed her hand, bringing her to the bathroom. Sitting on the counter, she chewed on her lower lip while Tobirama filled the bathtub. Realizing what he was doing she grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"Just give me a towel, I can scrub it off."

"No, you are soaked in blood."

"I don't want to-"Knowing it was useless to argue with her, and too tire to do so, Tobirama picked her up effortlessly and dropped her off in the bathtub without ceremony, sill fully clothed. She sputtered water and her green eyes shone with anger when he glanced down at her face.

"Tobirama!" Her voice came out as a growl and he could not help the small laugh that shook his shoulders… to be interrupted when, with a powerful tug on his hand, she made him fall in the bath next to her. When his head came out of the water, he could see that she was doing everything to contain her hilarity and failed. He had heard her laugh, but nothing like this. It was so pure and so beautiful that he wished he could hear this sound every single day. Without realizing it, his laugh reverberated around them and this was the first time that Sakura truly heard the man laugh. The deep sound sent a shiver down her spine.

Their eyes locked and their laughter died slowly. Taking in his intense expression, Sakura's throat felt dry. For a few breaths, they stared at each other, realizing how today could have been if Sakura had not been a great kunoichi, or if he and Madara had not made it on time to save her. Tobirama's gulped when he remembered how he could have lost her today.

Taking a cloth, he dipped it in the water and gently wiped away the blood of her face. Caressing her cheek, he bent forward, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. She sighed, pleased, and opened her green eyes, meeting his crimson ones. None of them wanted to voice the thought that hung heavily between them, but they understood.

Tobirama frowned, seeing the blood covering her, assaulted by images of her, hurt. He had to think about something else, so he took the cloth and cleaned her neck, kissing a line down from her jaw to the newly clean patch of skin, to her shoulder… He could feel her shivering against his body and when his lips touched her collarbone, she arched slightly against him. She rapidly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. As he kissed her, the whole world seemed to fade away. He could feel the erratic beating of her heart on his chest and at some point, he wondered, was it hers or his?

Reaching down, Tobirama grabbed the hem of her almost destroyed shirt and paused, still kissing her. He felt her nod for him to continue. Slowly, he peeled off the shirt from her body, uncovering her creamy skin inches by inches. Once the item removed, he threw it on the ground, bindings following soon after. Pulling away slightly, he admired her. The way her soft skin shone with pearls of water dribbling slowly on her creamy breasts.

Sakura could feel his burning gaze on her and it ignited something deep within. She reached for him and his shirt joined hers on the ground with a wet sound. Her eyes widened when she took the time to really look at him. She always knew the man was well built, but never expected to see such definite muscles… He looked like a god. She could see his strong chest and abdominal muscles, his strong shoulders… Reaching forward, she caressed his jaw, his neck, dragged her fingers on his spine. The whole time, he was watching her face while she was observing him. He could see her desire plain as day and the look of admiration in her eyes. When she bit her lips, he pulled her to him, crashing her naked chest on his. A shiver went through her body when she felt the strong muscles of his torso being pressed on her naked breasts, his strong arm holding her back, fingers caressing the skin of her shoulder blades softly.

Looking each other deep in the eyes, Tobirama touched the side of her face and with his thumb, released the lip she was biting before to press his lips on hers. To know that she held equal amount of admiration for him as he did for her made his heart ache. For the first time since he found her fighting today, his mind was only focused on the present situation. All the worries he had, and all the fears were gone. The only thing that existed for him was her.

Sakura's mind was racing. There were no doubts, they were going down that road. She could not care less since she trusted him… Loved him. True, their relationship was far from being what was considered as "normal" in the Warring Eras, but her situation was far from being normal. If she was going through with it, she'd rather do it with someone with whom she had an emotional connection. Never in her life did she want someone like she wanted him right now. Today opened her eyes. Life was short and she had to live it to the fullest, and right now, it meant doing the thing that plagued her mind the past few weeks. Giving herself to the man she loved.

His hands on her skin were gentle, exploring every curve, and without any effort, he pulled her to him and stood up, water rippling down their bodies. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked out of the bath. Soon enough, her back was pressed against a wall and his soft caress were becoming firm, making her breath quicken, coming out in small pants. A gasp escaped her when the extent of his desire was pressed against her.

Hearing her gasp, Tobirama froze for a moment, looking into her eyes. If she wanted to stop, they would stop, and it was not even a question. Nothing in her green orbs was betraying how she felt. Stilling, he held her against him, rubbing a soothing circle on her shoulder with his thumb. She was probably tired, after all the emotions and the fighting and-

His knees buckled and his breath hitched when she moved against him to increase the friction between their bodies. Clenching his jaw, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Deep in her eyes, he could see her trust, and something… bold. The way their emerald color darkened, made him tremble. He was proven right when she moved against him again. Tobirama dropped his forehead on hers and when he spoke his voice was strained.

"We can stop if you want to. There is nothing that o-" Her finger on his mouth stopped him and she smiled softly at him.

"I want to do this…" A small blush found her cheeks and she continued. "With you."

His throat felt dry when those words left her mouth. He had wanted to explore her body completely since the first time they had woken up together. His need to get closer to her had been more urgent since he had seen her in all her naked glory the night of his brother's wedding… Nodding, Tobirama let her pull him in another searing kiss.

His hands were touching every inch of her skin that was exposed. Kissing her neck, he nipped her shoulder and a small moan escaped her. Looking up, she met his eyes and he saw the urgency and the need she had to get closer. She did not notice that he had moved them around until she felt the softness of her bed on her bare back. Smirking in their kiss, she helped him out of his pants, shrugging hers off soon after, leaving them totally uncovered.

Tobirama sat back on his heels and his breath caught. To see her, naked, looking up and down his body with burning eyes was an experience. Nothing like the innocent and drunk woman he had seen before. Trying to imprint this image of her in his brain, a whisper left his mouth.

"Beautiful…" She was definitely something to behold and it dawned on him that out of all the men on earth, he was the luckiest one who held her trust and affection…

Sakura could barely believe what was happening. She was there, naked in her bed with the second Hokage. How unbelievable was that? Her train of thought derailed when his hungry mouth found the sensitive skin of her neck. His warm body pressing her deeper in the mattress. His hand trailed from her shoulder, to her breast, where he stopped for a moment, touching her gently. A small whimper left her mouth when his hands were replaced by his mouth. She arched against him and looking down, saw his smile. His hands trailed down slowly to her stomach, her inner thigh and suddenly a jolt of pleasure made her head fall backward.

Tobirama watched as her eyes screwed shut and had to repress a groan. She was so sensitive and the way she reacted to his touch was making it really hard for him to take his time… Slowly, he inserted a finger in her and gently moved, rubbing the bundle of nerve with his thumb at the same time. Picking up the pace, he inserted another finger and smiled when she involuntarily bucked her hips against his hand, trying to increase the friction, which he did for her. Her moans were like the sweetest music to his ears.

Her body ached for something more, reaching up, she grabbed his head and pulled him to her, kissing his neck. A groan escaped him as she raked her nails on his back, her tongue brushing against the sensitive spot where his pulse was visible. Curling his fingers into her, Tobirama watched as her body shivered violently, and never letting down the pace, he was preparing her for what would come next.

Damn she was so gorgeous, writhing under his ministrations. Rubbing her sensitive spot in a tortuous pace, he felt her tense until a breathless cry escaped her lips when she came. Smiling, Tobirama did not stop the movement of his fingers, bending forward, he kissed her stomach, her breasts, her neck, nipping her collarbone...

"Tobirama..." Her voice came as a supplication and when he met her eyes, he could see her desperate look. His heart fluttered in his chest and at that moment, he could not hold back. Hovering over her, he looked down at her flushed face and bright eyes. He did not know if anything in the world could make him feel the way she did. She was special.

Kissing her intensely, Tobirama aligned himself to her body and slowly moved into her. He took his time, caressing her body, kissing her neck. He tried to make her feel comfortable, knowing how painful a woman's first time could be. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

Sakura was thankful for him to take his time, but there was a need in her that had to be filled. She wanted to be with him. All the way and now. A startled groan escaped Tobirama when she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in fully in a swift motion. A small hiss escaped her lips when she felt the stinging pain, but it was bearable, and she started to relax as the pain receded. The filling sensation left her breathless. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced…

Tobirama stood still over her, trying to calm his mind and body that were overwhelmed by the sensation of her tight grip around him. He slowly opened his eyes, strained chuckle leaving his lips. Leave it to Sakura to get the hard part out of the way and get to the better one.

"A warning would have been nice..." Seeing her soft smile, Tobirama dropped his forehead on hers, staying still, giving her body some time to adjust. Slowly, he started to move and increased the speed.

Sakura was assaulted by new waves of pleasure she never experiences before. It felt like waves of fires were crashing in her abdomen, burning everything on their wake, leaving her out of breath, wanting more. When he lifted one of her leg over his shoulder, she felt him even deeper than before and the sensation ripped a loud moan out of her throat.

She was gripping the sheets tightly, her knuckles turning white and reaching for it, he grabbed her hand in his. Soon after, his lips were on hers with pure unbridled lust and the feeling it awakened in her was wonderful. Soon, the pleasure crashing into her felt too much, too intense and her breath caught in her throat. Opening her eyes widely, she met Tobirama's focus crimson gaze and when he reached between them to rub this amazing spot, her body shuddered intensely.

"Tobiram-AH!" her head fell back on the pillow and her back arched, her breasts pressed against his chest.

A blinding flash of pleasure assaulted her senses and her nails dug in his strong shoulder. It felt like the world was brighter, like everything finally made sense to her. Tobirama watched her come undone under him, clenching his jaw at the beautiful picture she was making right now. He let her ride her orgasm for a moment until the sensation of her, clenching around him, was too much to bear and soon after, he tumbled over the edge.

Sakura felt his body tense and then his warm breath tickled her neck. This had been incredible. Coming down from her high, she smiled. Tobirama propped himself on an elbow not to crush her and bending forward, captured her lips in a soft yet passionate kiss. Pulling back, he hovered over her body, watching her face with an indecipherable expression and when she met his eyes, her heart skipped a beat. If she did not know better, she could have sworn that she saw a loving glint to his crimson orbs. Moving from his position, Tobirama laid beside her and, wrapping his arm around her waist, brought her to his chest.

They laid there, in peaceful silence, listening to the rain that started to fall at some point. Focusing on his heartbeat, Sakura smiled peacefully. Her first time had been mind-blowing. She was told that it could be uncomfortable and not too pleasant, but the man laying with her took the time to make this moment special for her.

"I should get into fights more often if this is how you treat me afterward…" Saying that, she chuckled, reaching up to kiss his jaw softly. A hum left his throat and she giggled. Pressing his forehead on hers, he left a small kiss on her lips and sent a soft smile her way.

"If this is how you want it to go, no need to get hurt, I would be more than happy to oblige." His whisper reached her and, laughing, she nuzzled closer to him wrapping an arm around his torso. The event of the day had led to something wonderful…

"Duly noted…"

* * *

Tobirama could not believe that he was laying here, enjoying her company after having the chance to make love to her. If he was honest with himself, he knew that this, was not an emotionless encounter. He never felt the need to be close like this to anyone, but at this moment, he realized that he was in too deep to go back. As scary as it seemed, his heart was not his anymore. Along the way, her stubbornness, her selflessness, her intelligence, and her beauty had made those walls of his tumble down. For some reason, his brother had known that this would happen as soon as they had met… If he had some walls left, they had disappeared the moment she gave herself to him tonight.

Looking down, a smile found his lips. She was laying on his chest, naked, lips parted slightly, already asleep. She was exhausted… And rightly so. Remembering everything that happened that day, his arms tightened their grip on her body. He would find whoever tried to hurt her and would kill them. Now being able to place a name on this emotion he felt around her, he knew he had to protect her. Who was he kidding? She was strong enough and did not need any protection. Kissing her forehead gently, he swore to himself that he would watch her back and be next to her every step of the way. They were equals after all. But he would not hesitate to trade his life for hers, and that is how deep into it he was. With this last thought, the warmth of her body and the softness of her skin on his made his eyes heavy and he followed her soon into a comfortable sleep… Until her lips on his neck and her wandering hand woke him up next.

Three times did the night found them exchanging burning caresses, kisses, and heated whispers. Each time, when they tumbled over the edge together, it felt like the world was right how it was supposed to be. That night, when Tobirama's name left her lips as her body shook in pleasure, Sakura knew that she could not go back home. She did not want to. She had found _it. _


	25. Chapter 25

Note: Here is the next chapter. I know it took a while and I am sorry for it. Without going into the details, things went to shit the past months. (sorry for the language). Lots of things happened and I had rebuild my entire life from the ground up basically. Inspiration was not there but surprisingly came back today. I took out my laptop and reworked the chapters. I owe you all the end of this story. A good story. I will be releasing the rest of the chapters rapidly in the next weeks before the new year, so it can finally come to an end before life starts back after the holidays. Again, sorry for the wait, I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 25

When the sun peaked in her bedroom between the curtains, Sakura sighed, facing the other way. Warm arms wrapped around her, pulling her back where she previously was. Her eyes opened when soft lips found her neck and a pleased sigh left her. Chuckling, she faced the man that was laying behind her. His features were soft, and his crimson eyes held so many emotions that her breath hitched. Remembering their night made a deep blush stain her cheeks. Sakura cleared her throat, eyes peeking from under her eyelashes.

"Good morning…" Her shy voice made him smirk. His hand was caressing her naked back gently when he smiled fully to her.

"A good morning indeed." Bending forward, Tobirama kissed her lips tenderly. Keeping his head close, his voice came out as a soft whisper. "How do you feel?" He was happy to see her awake and peaceful, but he could not help but wonder if their activities made her aches worst. He had been focused on many other things to worry about her healed wounds yesterday.

Slowly stretching like a cat against him, she winced when her muscles protested slightly. At this point, she could not tell if the pain was coming from her battle from yesterday or from their love making sessions… Shrugging, she met his eyes.

"A little sore, but otherwise, I am fine." Planting a kiss on Tobirama's lips, Sakura rolled to the end of the bed.

Getting on her feet, she shivered when the morning air caressed her naked body and rapidly grabbed the midnight blue shirt in her dresser. Facing him, she took a moment to appreciate the sight he made. Sitting, leaning back on his hands, the blanket pooling around his hips… His perfect torso and his abdomen looked so inviting… and she knew that what he had under the covers was well worth it too! Smiling at the thought, she met his eyes and saw his hungry expression following her every movements, like he could read her thoughts. Oh yes, it was more than worth it… Putting on the shirt, she stretched again, still looking at him.

Tobirama was mesmerized. The way the morning light shone on her naked body had him in a trance when she left the bed, until she covered herself. He smirked inwardly, knowing she was not wearing anything under this shirt, which meant that it would be easy to… His train of thought stopped when she approached him and still standing, massaged his shoulders gently. Bending forward she captured his lips again and sighed happily before to pull back.

"I will make us some tea." Her voice was soft and hearing it, he grabbed her hand, slowly kissing her fingers before to let her go with some regrets. They had to get out of bed at some point… But after last night, he could never leave this room and be fine with it.

Tobirama watched her leave, staying in bed and wondering if the whole night had been a dream. Being naked in her bed, her sweet smell surrounding him, he knew it had been real. It happened and it had been amazing. He could still see her green eyes darkened as she reached the peak of pleasure. A delighted shiver went through him and smiling to himself, he sat up. Who would have known a few months back that they would have ended up this way? This close. This. Right here. That kind of morning was something he wanted.

Hearing the clattering of cups and utensils in the kitchen, Tobirama finally decided to leave the comfort of the bed, putting on his pants that were still slightly damp from his dip in the bath the night prior. Abandoning the idea of wearing his shirt that was still soaked on the floor, he walked to the door. Coming out of the bedroom, he stopped dead in his tracks. The sight waiting for him stole the breath out of his lungs.

Sakura was preparing tea, her mussed hair framing her face, her long and soft legs peeking out from under his shirt, the sun reflecting in her eyes, making them shine like a precious gem… She was humming a song he did not know, swaying her hips gently while pouring water into the teapot. Leaning on the doorframe, he just stared at her, trying to commit this image to his memory as best as he could.

Hearing the floor creak not too far behind, Sakura turned around and faced Tobirama with her soft smile and loving eyes. His heart accelerated and he almost brought a hand to his chest, trying to slow it down.

Sakura saw the way he almost melted when she faced him, and a shiver ran through her body. He was only wearing his pants, so she had a perfect view of his chiseled torso. Remembering this strong body on hers the night prior, pushing her into the mattress, warmth spread through her belly. Like in a dream, he took a few steps forward until he stood in front of her. In this moment, he was not the stoic man whose face was carved in the rocks, the one who was a god among shinobi. He was only a man, looking at her like she was the most precious thing he had. And she loved it.

Reaching forward, Tobirama cupped her cheek and brought her face to his, pressing his lips on hers fervently. Taking his time, he explored her mouth softly, walking forward as she took steps backward. Soon enough, she bumped into the counter and he hoisted her up on it, standing between her legs.

Her hands found his shoulders, rubbing the gashes she had made on them with her nails when reaching heights, the night before. She tried to send some healing chakra to it, but as soon as he felt it, he shook his head, smiling in the kiss. He placed his hands on her hips bringing her closer as she locked her legs around him. Slowly reaching to grab the hem of her shirt, his hand caressed her inner thigh, a whimper left her when his hand got higher and-

Suddenly the door flew open, Hashirama walking in, followed by Madara and Izuna.

"Sakur-Ah!" The brown-haired man paused, eyes widening at the scene in front of them. His brother was really close from a panting Sakura, he had nails scratches on the pale skin of his back. The wounds looked quite fresh… Sakura was not wearing any pants and the way her legs wrapped around his brother only confirmed his suspicions about their previous activities. That and the fact that his brother's hand was dangerously high on the medic's thigh.

Gulping, Hashirama's eyes met Tobirama's frustrated ones. A slow grin spread on the Senju leader's lips, which made the white-haired man roll his eyes. Madara, on the other hand, had the decency to look everywhere but at them and so did Izuna, a thing Sakura was grateful for at the moment since she felt quite a bit… Exposed.

Izuna met Sakura's gaze for a moment and smirked. Sakura understood that she would have to have a conversation with the red head later today since Izuna would probably tell the Uzumaki everything about what he'd seen. No one talked and when the silence became awkward, Tobirama cleared his throat, unphased.

"There certainly is a reason why you barged in here without knocking, brother?" The serious tone of Tobirama's voice made Hashirama stand straighter.

"Yes indeed." Hashirama, still grinning was looking from Sakura to Tobirama and the weird silence continued. Seeing Sakura pulling her shirt down her legs to cover herself better, Tobirama noted her discomfort. Remembering her lack of undergarments, he cursed inwardly. Moving a tad to the right to hide her from their friends better, the white-haired man raised an eyebrow in his brother's direction.

"Get to the point." Hashirama's smile disappeared, now remembering what he had come here for in the first place.

"Oh, Yes!" Clasping his hands behind his back, the Senju leader cleared his throat. "We will interrogate Sakura's attacker soon at the Uchiha compound, if you want to join us. Yamanaka-san will be helping us." Hashirama tried to meet Sakura's eyes over his brother's shoulder. "You are more than welcome to join us, Sakura." Tobirama nodded to his brother, hoping for him to get the hint and leave, but he stood there, his grin slowly coming back. Seeing the white-haired man's jaw clench, Sakura smiled.

"You may now leave. I will join you shortly." Madara understood the underlying message and the hint of a threat seeping in Tobirama's tone so he grabbed Hashirama's shoulder and dragged him towards the door. Before to exit, Hashirama held onto the doorframe, looking back at his friend who tried to get him out of there.

"But, wait-!" Madara unclasped Hashirama's fingers from the doorframe, giving him a hard look.

"Hashirama, we are leaving." Madara continued to drag the man outside and Izuna rolled his eyes, making his way to the door, closing it once he was outside, leaving Tobirama and Sakura alone again.

Sakura was trying to hold in a laugh, but the moment his crimson eyes met her green ones, she burst out laughing. Raising an eyebrow, Tobirama tried to understand the reason for her hilarity. The situation was far from being funny.

"I thought you were going to rip his head off for a moment." Oh. So, she was laughing at him. Eyeing her for a while, Tobirama was thinking about all the ways he could make her laughter stop and had a pretty good idea on how he could go about it…

"I thought about doing it since, you know… He interrupted my morning plans." Sakura's eyes displayed her amusement and she leaned back on her hands.

"What were those plans if I might ask, _oh mighty_ Tobirama Senju?" A predatory smile graced his lips and pulling her to him, Tobirama transported her to the bedroom. Her laughter only grew when he pushed her on the mattress, not expecting this. Remembering what Hashirama had said, she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, an attempt that was quite futile.

"Tobirama, they are waiting for you!" Not listening to her, Tobirama set her on the bed and made good on his morning plans. Soon enough, her laughs turned into moans, to his greatest pleasure.

* * *

The Uchiha and Senju leader were waiting for the white-haired man in the courtyard of the Uchiha compound. What they had seen that morning had been quite a surprise, to say the least. On their way back to the Uchiha compound, Hashirama had tried to talk about what they saw to Madara, but the man was not inclined to discuss the young Senju's sexual life, so he had shut his friend down. It was none of their business what happened between the two of them. Remembering the pure rage that Tobirama had been in the day before when they had found a wounded Sakura, he could understand how they ended up sleeping together. He could not care less, to be honest, as long as the white-haired Senju treated her well, he was fine with it.

The Yamanaka arrived, breaking Madara's train of thoughts. The man bowed to him and turning around, bowed to Hashirama. Looking around the courtyard, the Yamanaka glanced at Madara.

"Where is Tobirama-sama?" His blue eyes bet Madara's onyx and the Uchiha leader shrugged.

"He will arrive shortly, I am sure." Hearing the dismissive tone of the leader, the blond man nodded, waiting next to them with his arms crossed on his chest.

A few minutes after the words left Madara's mouth, Tobirama entered through the gate, seeing that everyone was waiting for him already. Not that he cared. They could have waited even longer if Sakura did not push him out of the house after he did good on his morning plans. When he stopped in front of them, the two leaders were watching him knowingly. It was Madara who broke the silence first.

"You are late." Madara's voice was matter-of-factly and he eyed the white-haired Senju suspiciously. His hair looked more disheveled than usual and his face still held a pinkish tint to it. He noticed some other details that an untrained eye could not see right away and he smirked. It would appear that the man was really considerate in making sure that Sakura was pleased if what he saw gave any indications of this.

"I had things to take care of this morning before to come here." Understanding the meaning of his words, Madara huffed, crossing his arms on his chest. Hashirama barked a laugh, slapping Madara on the shoulder and wiggling his eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

"Or someone to take care of…" Hashirama's innuendo was enough for the Uchiha leader to lose his patience so before to be able to stop himself, he slapped the back of his friend's head. "Ouch! You know as well as I do that it's the truth!" Glaring at his friend, Madara shook his head. He knew way too well what happened between Tobirama and Sakura. He just wanted to avoid thinking about the both of them under that light. Especially her who looked so innocent… Remembering her pleased eyes during her battle yesterday when the blood of her enemy splattered on her face, Madara shook his head. She only looked innocent. Gaining back his composure, Madara straightened up.

"No need to be rude about it." The Uchiha's voice was annoyed and turning his back on the men, he started to walk away. "Now, are we going to stand here all day?"

The Yamanaka stood there, listening to their banters, and taking in the sight if the white-haired man. He too could see that his face was slightly red, but nothing more. After a few minutes of observation, his eyes widened. You could barely see it but when looking close to the neck of his shirt, edges of scratches could be seen, barely covered by the material. Understanding that those were not cause by weapons, but by nails, the blond man did the math in his head. The lucky bastard had been with the pretty medic… And gave her a ride for her money it seemed like.

* * *

They all followed Madara into the compound to the room that had been set for the interrogation. It was dark and the man who battled with Sakura was tied to a chair with chakra suppressant cuffs into place. Madara walked around the prisoner and made sure that everything was secured, his presence freezing the man into place.

Tobirama and the Yamanaka were leaning on the wall, standing behind Madara and Hashirama. The prisoner's eyes were shooting daggers, he knew he would be in trouble if he stayed silent. He also knew that he would be in more trouble if he even attempted to talk. It was not everyday that three important figures were interrogating one man... Clearing his throat, Hashirama took a step forward.

"Let's get started shall we? Who sent you here?" Hashirama's voice was calm, and his question made the prisoner laugh.

"Like I would tell you anything." The prisoner spat on the ground. His dismissive attitude did not sit well with Madara who's sharingan activated, making the man recoil at the sight of the familiar eyes. He remembered the place he had been in for hours last night because of those damn eyes and did not particularly feel like going back there today. Trying another angle, Hashirama tilted his head.

"What do you want from the girl you attacked?" The prisoner, avoiding to look in Madara's direction, glanced at Hashirama.

"Who is saying that we want her? Maybe we just wanted to kill someone." Tobirama standing behind his brother, took a step forward. He was listening to every word and something struck his curiosity.

"We. So you are not alone in this… How many people?"

Knowing that it was better to give them something to chew on, the man tried to answer but as soon as the first word left his mouth, he coughed like something was choking him. Tobirama frowned and getting closer, grabbed the man's neck and bend his head back to open his mouth. A seal. Someone made sure that he would choke before to get their secrets in the open. Looking back at his brother and Madara, they understood that they would have to pick their questions and the wording carefully if they wanted any answers. Releasing the man quite abruptly, Tobirama stood in front of him, arms crossed.

"You say that you don't want her, but with the way you were fighting with her, it was clear that your mission was to kill her." The man grinned and looked at Tobirama with an arrogant smirk.

"She is just a weak whore with pink hair, she is not important."

Hearing one of the word that Sakura hated the most made a hot rage burn in him and without thinking, in half a second, he landed a punch on the man's jaw. Grabbing his bleeding face roughly, the white-haired man looked at him with a menacing stare.

"Now you be careful with your choice of words. I won't allow you to speak of her that way."

Behind him, Hashirama and Madara exchanged a glance with the Yamanaka. The blond man understood that they would not get anywhere with the seal and Tobirama's short temper when it came to Sakura's safety. Getting behind the young Senju, the Yamanaka grabbed his shoulders catching his attention.

"Let me try something. He might not be allowed to talk, but I can see what I can gather in his mind." Looking between the prisoner and the blond man, Tobirama sighed, seeing that it would probably be easier that way. And safer.

"Have it your way." That being said, Tobirama took a step back and stood next to Madara who glanced at him briefly, making sure he was now calm. Understanding why the Uchiha's eyes lingered on him, Tobirama nodded and focused his attention back to the blond man and Madara did the same. The Yamanaka stood there and cocking his head to the side started to talk to the prisoner.

"Do you know what my specialty is?" The prisoner shook his head and the Yamanaka smiled. "I can read your mind. Whatever you do not want to tell me, I can find out right here." Tapping the man's temple, he laughed when the prisoner's eyes widened. Looking back at the three men, the Yamanaka asked them for a silent permission to start. Each of them gave him a curt nod so he faced the prisoner and placed a hand on the man's forehead.

With a quick hand seal, the Yamanaka was projected into the man's mind. Something felt off, but shrugging it off, he started to look into the memories. He saw the battle he had with the pink haired kunoichi, when they placed the explosion tags in her office, how the entered the hospital, a part of their route to the village and then…. Nothing.

* * *

Everything was silent in the room. Madara, Hashirama and Tobirama were watching the blond man, wondering what he would be able to gather. Suddenly, the body of the prisoner jerked, convulsing. White foam leaked out of his mouth.

"What is going on?" Hashirama's voice held a slight feeling of panic. Both men shrugged, not knowing if they should interrupt the blond man or if it was part of the process. A sharp cry of pain escaped the prisoner when blood started to pour out of his nose and ears.

The Yamanaka's eyes shot open and he removed his hand from the man's forehead like it burned, taking a few step back. The only thing preventing him from falling were the steadying hands of Madara, holding him by the shoulders. The blond man paled.

"I have never seen anything like this…" Curious, Tobirama approached the prisoner and placed his fingers on his neck. Finding no heartbeat, he looked back at the three men standing behind him and shook his head. He was dead.

"What is it that you saw in there?" Madara's voice was unsure. Releasing the blond's shoulders, he eyed the man, waiting for an answer. Taking a few deep breaths, the Yamanaka was able to voice the experience.

"It must be some kind of forbidden seal, or a totally different jutsu, I have never seen anything like this." Shaking his head to clear his mind, he continued. "I could see his recent memories, but as soon as I got closer to the information that we needed, like the place they came from or who sent them, it's like the inside of his mind disappeared. I don't know how to explain this. The was nothing left. Wiped clean. Memories and all. I only had enough time to retreat since it-" Seeing the now dead man on the chair, blood leaking from his nose and ears, the Yamanaka frowned. "It seemed like his brain literally imploded..."

They all stood silent for a moment. It dawned on them that their opponents had a knowledge of seals, or were creative with the jutsus they worked on. Either way, nothing off all this was reassuring.

"Interesting…" Madara's voice was neutral and the Yamanaka gulped. He had wanted to be useful and made the situation worst. He had killed the man by trying to get crucial information. They would never forgive him for losing a valuable witness…

"I am sorry I could not give you any more- I tried I… it's just-" Shaking his head Madara met the man's eyes.

"It is not your fault, we could not know that he was under this kind of protection, whatever that was. Whoever wanted to hurt Sakura did not want to be found and took all the precautions to prevent us to find anything…"

"Maybe they heard about her healing abilities and-" Tobirama was not listening to them anymore while they were exchanging theories. Something did not sit well with him. Why her? As far as he knew, she did not have any enemies. But again, what did he really know about her past other than vague memories that she shared with him? She never mentioned the places or the names, or any distinctive information for that matter... Some of his questions came crashing back and he heard her voice in his head talking about "our Konoha"… He would have to question her. The men came for her. He knew it had to be more than for her abilities. After the night they had, a thought crawled into his head, making his heart clench. Was she honest with him?

"What do you think, Tobirama?" Snapping his head back to the voice, Tobirama realized that he had stopped listening to the men.

"What?" Hashirama looked at his brother, frowning lightly. It was not like him not to pay attention during a conversation, especially now that it involved Sakura's safety. Sighing lightly, the Senju leader met his brother's eyes.

"I said, we should have someone to follow Sakura around and make sure she is safe. Who knows what they could try next."

A small huff left the man's lips at the suggestion. Was this the best that his brother had came up with? Shaking his head, Tobirama crossed his arms on his chest.

"She will never agree to this and you know it brother. I think that now, she will be more careful if we let her know what happened here."

"Speaking of Sakura, where is she? Didn't she want to question him?" Tobirama rolled his eyes.

"Your wife kidnapped her for the day."

Hashirama, remembering how Izuna reported Tobirama's morning activities to Mito rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, haha. Yes." Shaking his head, the young Senju turned his back on them and left without another word, the three men in the room glancing at each other, worried. They needed to get more information for her safety, but how could they do that when their only chance to gather them was ruined?

* * *

Sakura and Tobirama had only been done for a few minutes with their morning activities when Mito was knocking on the door. Tobirama had dressed up quite fast, leaving her in the bedroom to get cleaned up and dressed in peace, entertaining the Uzumaki long enough with small chat about the clan and the village.

Not to mention that when she came out of her bedroom, Sakura was met with her friend's knowing eyes, which made her gulp. Without a word, the Uzumaki left, knowing that Sakura would follow. Tobirama and Sakura walked out, exchanged a quick kiss and he was already setting off to the Uchiha compound when Mito grabbed her hand, dragging her behind.

The rest of the morning found them in a tea shop together, order of dango in front of them. The silence was becoming heavy. The young medic did not want to break the ice, so she sipped on her tea, looking out the window. Sakura's head snapped up when she heard the other woman's voice.

"So?" The small smirk on Mito's lips was enough for her to know what she wanted to hear, but Sakura decided to play innocent.

"So what?" She did not want to divulge too much information too quick to her friend. She would answer questions to fill the blanks, nothing more.

"How was it?"

Sakura drank her tea, blushing when she remembered some of the things he did to her and how much pleasure she felt. A dumb smile found her lips and Mito's laugh took her out of her thoughts.

"That good, uh?" Mito laughed when the young medic turned bright red, still not answering. "It is Tobirama Senju we are talking about. The man does everything perfectly… I assume he is as dedicated in the bedroom as he is for everything else he sets his mind to." After saying the last part, Mito looked at Sakura sideways. The pink haired kunoichi cleared her throat.

"He is, that's for sure…" Taking another sip of her tea, Sakura smirked over her cup, looking at the redhead. "He showed me how _dedicated_ he was quite a few times last night…And one more time this morning."

Mito almost spat her tea. Raising an eyebrow in a silent question, Sakura laughs, nodding, and puts her cup down. Clasping Sakura's hand, Mito giggled and Sakura joined in, feeling like she was talking to Ino…_ Ino_. How she missed her.

This part of the situation being out of the way, the two women continued their chat, unaware of the eyes watching them.

* * *

Sakura, towards the end of the day, was walking back with Mito. Remembering the seal she saw in her dream, she looked at her friend.

"Can I borrow some scrolls on fuinjustu that you might have?" Mito looked at Sakura, surprised to hear such question coming out of her friend's mouth. Why did she need them? Like she saw the hesitation of the redhead, Sakura decided to lie. "I am working on a new medical technique and it would help me to have more information about the different seals and their usages…"

"Oh! Of course then!" Walking back to the compound, the Uzumaki brought her to her room and gave her a few scrolls.

"Thank you!"

With that, Sakura walked back home and once inside, started to work on decrypting the weird seal that plagued her dreams recently.


	26. Chapter 26

Note: Things are getting complicated ahead! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Chapter 26

After the attack on Sakura's life, Tobirama had been preoccupied. He was spending more time in the office and searching for any clues about the attackers. He went back to the hospital and analyzed everything, every detail, and even tried to track the direction from where the attackers had came from. He was able to do so, but after a while, there were no more tracks. Defeated he went back to the compound and tried to find in their library any jutsus that could have caused the man to die during the interrogation. The white-haired man spent three days, barely sleeping, trying to find answers. Every time he thought he had a piece of the puzzle, the whole puzzle changed, and it was frustrating.

Sitting down at his desk, he knew that he would have to go back to Sakura eventually and the idea was frightening him for some reason. Since that doubt about her being honest made its appearance in his mind, he could barely think about anything else. He would have to ask her questions. He needed to know if she was hiding anything from him…

* * *

Sakura did not see the man for a few days after that morning. She wondered where he had been. A part of her was wondering if, maybe, they had gone too fast for the stoic man. She also thought that the cryptic messages would not find her new office, that all of this would be behind her, but she was mistaken. The day after her tea meeting with the Uzumaki, she had gone to her new office and found a piece of paper on her desk staring back at her, mocking her.

She had been on edge since her fight outside the hospital. The fact that she did not have any clue why people were targeting her was making her anxiety peak. The dark presence still followed her, more often than not, and her nightmares were coming back full force, like there was a connection between the occurrences of her nightmares and the increase of the shadow's presence. When she was waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, she would take out Mito's scrolls and try to understand the seal that she kept seeing to no avail. The whole situation made her patience stretch thin. The lack of Tobirama's calming presence in her life did not help either. In only a few days, her temper grew worst and she snapped at people so easily that it scared her. She tried to tell herself that she was fine, that the situation was ok, but the way she acted with people clearly showed her that it was everything but fine. One day, she had been so abrasive that she even made Kaiya cry with her harsh words.

Knowing that it was unlike Sakura to act this way, Ama had reported her behavior to Izuna and Madara, but both men brushed it off, saying that she would come around. They both knew how she could be when she was on edge about something. But even though he did not want to worry about her, Madara, to make Ama feel better, came to Sakura's office the next day to check on the medic. Sakura had been polite and nice, but he could see a flicker of uncertainty and, dare he say, fear in her eyes. She was holding onto something. He did not push her, but observed her when he could, coming to the hospital a few times per day.

* * *

When Madara went back in the office that day, he told Tobirama about Sakura's behavior. Seeing the young Senju rub his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose, Madara raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Shaking his head, Tobirama met Madara's dark eyes.

"I have been so caught up on finding who did this that I totally forgot to check on her…"

At that, Madara frowned. There was something that put the white-haired man on edge, but it was not the attackers. It was something else that prevented him to go and see Sakura. Deciding not to get involved in this, Madara only shrugged and before to leave, he gave the man a look over his shoulder.

"You should go and see her." And left before anything else was said.

Tobirama stared at the door for a long while after the man left. Yes. He would go and see her. Maybe ask her some questions in the process. Closing his eyes, he leaned back on his chair. Images of soft skin, dark green eyes and sweet sounds rushed in his brain and his eyes snapped open. Getting on his feet, he left the office.

* * *

At the end of the day, Sakura was coming back to her house, hands close to her weapon pouches and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Tobirama standing on her front porch. He looked tense. Not making any case about it, Sakura invited him inside without a word and closed the door, facing him. He took in a deep breath and his features softened.

"I am sorry, Sakura." His eyes held an apologetic glint and she sighed. Sorry for what? With anxiety twisting her guts, Sakura cleared her throat, trying to push away thousands of different scenarios that could come from those words.

"What are you apologizing for?" Her voice was unsure and small. Understanding her train of thought, his eyes widened slightly. Trying to clear the misunderstanding, Tobirama took a step closer to her.

"I do not want you to think that what happened between us was not important to me. I just could not rest and enjoy… this new proximity. Not when knowing that someone out there wanted to hurt you." Her heart relaxed and a wave of warmth washed over her. She smiled at him so softly that his heart almost leapt out of his chest.

"I can defend myself Tobirama." His eyes hardened for a moment, before to relax again and grabbing her hands, he rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles gently.

"I know." A tired sigh escaped him. "The past days I investigated, looked for anything, ANYTHING, that could point us to the right-" Seeing how worked up he was about the situation, Sakura grabbed his face and kissed him, thoroughly shutting him up.

After a moment, she took a step back and looked up into his crimson eyes. Her expression hardened slightly.

"Tobirama Senju, though I appreciate your work, if you dare disappear on me like that again, I swear to-" It was his turn to see how worked up she had been about his absence. Grabbing her by the neck, he pulled her in for another kiss that made her head spin. When they broke apart, he gave her a tired smile.

"I won't." She nodded, not trusting her voice after this kiss.

Taking the time to observe the man properly, Sakura frowned. He looked totally exhausted. His face was paler than usual, dark circles under his eyes, even the light in his eyes was dimmed. Grabbing his hands without a word, she brought him to her bedroom, helping him out of his armor and taking his shirt off she pointed at the bed.

"Sit on the bed." Raising an eyebrow, Tobirama did what he was told. He would have enjoyed an intimate moment with her be he was thoroughly exhausted at the moment. About to voice his concern, the words he tried to talk changed into a groan when she climbed on the bed behind him and started to massage his broad shoulders. "Try to relax." Her lips brushed his ear and it made goosebump run on his arms, but listening to her he closed his eyes. Sakura added some healing chakra to her motions, removing the tension of his back.

Sighing, he leaned his head back, looking at her. Sakrua ran her hand in his hair softly and went back to her massage. After a few minutes, she felt his regular breathing and smiled when he leaned on her, his head on her collarbone. Seeing him like this, vulnerable, she smiled. Funny how roles reversed. She was the one taking care of him this time. Her smile dimmed when she thought about everything going on and crossed her fingers for things to get better. Waking up a sleepy Tobirama, she helped him to get under the blanket, where she joined him after changing in something more comfortable. Attracted to her like a magnet even when sleeping, his arms were around her waist, holding her close to him as soon as she had been under the blanket. She fell asleep, a smile on her face. Everything would be ok. She knew it.

* * *

That morning, Sakura woke up with a start, waking up Tobirama who had been sleeping peacefully next to her. Sitting, she touched the back of her neck. She had the worst feeling in her stomach. In her dream, she felt this weird burn on her neck again, but it had been the same nightmare, there were no more clues given to her. Rubbing her face, she breathed out, frustrated. Tobirama slowly rubbed her back and kissed her shoulder.

"Everything ok?" She nodded and he looked at her face for a few seconds. She was clearly not ok. There was something that she was not telling him... It probably was not anything major, he thought. He hoped. Then the same doubt he had, came crashing back in his mind.

Sakura thought about the seal, about her inability to figure it out. About everything, really. Everything that had been stressing her and been weighing on her shoulders for a while. She rubbed her face.

They stayed silent, each in their own inner turmoil. The minutes passed until he felt the tension leave her shoulders. Stretching, he got out of bed and helped her up. She still did not look at him and she was chewing on her lower lip. Something was bothering her.

Without glancing up at him, Sakura went to her dresser, putting on her clothes. While deep in thoughts, she bumped into her desk, making her pouch fall to the ground. Its content spilled everywhere: medical supplied, papers, pens, syringes… Tobirama seeing her in her own thoughts bent to gather the content, putting it back in the pouch and frowned, seeing a crumpled piece of paper. Remembering her hiding something behind her back the other day, he opened it and read the small sentence. He froze. Picking up another one, he read it and tried to keep his temper in check.

Sakura turned around and saw him there, crouched, reading those damn papers. His hard eye met hers and he stood up slowly, holding the paper towards her. She could see that he tried to reign over his anger for her sake but had a har time to do it. She could understand that after a few days looking for clues and not finding any, getting his hands on those papers was frustrating to say the least.

"Sakura, what is this?" His voice came out harsher than he intended, but he did not think the situation funny. Who wrote these to her? "What is going on?" A flash of guilt flew threw her eyes and his heart clenched again.

"Nothing, everything is fine." Her eyes told him the opposite and he took a deep steadying breath, trying to keep his calm for as long as he could.

"The last time you told me that everything was fine, you ended up with a burned office, all bloodied with a broken arm." The cutting edge of his voice made her pause. He was worried. With reason. Looking into both of her eyes, he sighed. "I know you are keeping things from me and I have questions, so please, can you tell me the truth?"

Tobirama was now feeling the doubts that plagued his mind deep in his chest. Everything that did not make sense about her came back to his mind and he hated himself for it because he knew he had to ask her the questions he held onto for the past few months. For his sake. For them. Because he hoped that she was not lying to him. Her voice made him focus all his attention back on her.

"What do you mean?"

"I have been looking for any clues related to your attack and now I find out that you kept those in your pouch. If you don't want to answer truthfully about this" he said, showing the paper in his hand. "Then please answer to another question of mine because since the wedding, hell, since your birthday, I had something on my mind." Pausing, he scrutinized her face. She was waiting with bated breaths. "When we were in the garden. You called me "Nidaime-sama". What did you mean by that?"

Sakura honestly did not remember that one, she must have been quite drunk when she had called him this way. Of course, she knew why her drunk self would say something like that, but how could she tell him? She was not ready to open this pandora box, not yet.

"I don't know, I drank a lot that night…" Technically, it was not a lie since she really did not remember. Frustrated by her blatant lie, Tobirama decided to let her know a few things.

"Then let me ask you this. The week before your birthday, after spar with Madara, we woke up together, you remember?" She nodded. "Well, I heard you talk before you fell asleep outside." Her eyes widened and he knew that she remembered that night. Taking that as a sign to continue, he grabbed her shoulders softly looking deep into her eyes. "What did you mean when you said "our Konoha"?" Sakura sucked in a breath. Her mind was reeling. This was not happening. She would have to tell him everything. Now. Nodding, Sakura took a deep breath in and started.

"Tobirama, I-" A knock on her door interrupted her. Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and open to the person who ended up being Mito. Now was not the moment at all. Tobirama was standing behind Sakura. What did she want to tell him? Tobirama could have snapped Mito's neck for interrupting such a conversation.

"Sakura, we need you! There was a problem at the hospital and Ama-" Seeing the frown on Sakura's face and Tobirama's hard expression behind her, she knew she interrupted an important conversation. Mito clasped her hands like she was praying. "Please, Sakura. She really needs help."

Rubbing her eyes, Sakura nodded and closed the door to tell something to the man before she left. Facing him, she saw his raised eyebrow and she tried not to cry. She was overwhelmed right now. Walking passed him, she went and changed quickly. Back in the kitchen, she grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes. The fact that he did not reject her touch was a small victory.

"We have to talk later. It is important." She raised on her tip toes and gave him a soft kiss. He bent forward and put his forehead on hers, crimson boring into emerald. He did not want to let her go when she had something to tell him, not when he was so close to discover the answers to some questions he had for a while now. Exhaling slowly, he cupped her cheek. He knew she had an important work to do and a role to play in the village, even though right now, he hated it. With a kiss on her seal, he dropped his hand.

"I will come by later. We can talk then." Nodding, Sakura gave a gentle squeeze to his hand and left her house.

Tobirama stood in the middle of the kitchen. This morning had been so different than he expected. Since the attack at the hospital, she had been stressed and he had not been present for her when she need him. But he had questions. So many questions now. And her face when she was about to talk to him. Her face held emotions that, even if he thought long about everything she had told him since they met, he could not place on any of those things. Had he done anything wrong? Getting dressed, Tobirama left her house and made his way to the office. If he stayed in her house anymore, he would only have more doubts. He needed to change his mind. Work. But he knew that today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sakura got to the hospital behind Mito and this is when Ama came running to her, panicked.

"I gave the patient the wrong medication and now he has a hard time breathing, and-!" Sakura walked past Ama and made her way to the door.

She went in the room and read the chart, understood the mistake, and corrected it. The whole thing took her ten minutes at a maximum. She had been disrupted while having an important conversation, a life-changing one, with Tobirama for _THIS. _Getting out of the room, Sakura was angry when Ama came to her. Angry was not the word. She was livid.

"I am sorry Sak-" Not letting her apprentice the time to finish, Sakura took a few steps forward, standing mere inches from the young Senju.

"This, was a debutant mistake." Her voice held so much anger that Ama took a step back. She had never seen the woman this furious. "If you would have read the chart, you could have avoided this. I expected better from my apprentice. This is someone's life we are talking about and you had everything, everything in your possession to treat this person properly." Sakura could see the tears shining in her apprentice's eyes, but she did not care. She just felt like her world was becoming more complicated and this was the last drop. Ama took in a deep breath and tried to explain herself.

"I was distracted, I am sor-" Cutting her again, Sakura sent her the harshest look.

"If you were not so busy daydreaming about your wedding, you wouldn't have missed it." Spatting this to the young Senju, Sakura realized how she had gotten worked up for something so small. But it was too late. She knew it was when Ama turned on her heels and left, crying.

* * *

The two Senju and two Uchiha brothers had been working all day. At first, they went and walked through the new built compounds and houses for the new clans and villagers to ensure that everything was ready for their arrival, then they took care of some of the requests and concerns before to go back to the office. For once, Izuna had showed up to help. The younger Uchiha was smitten with the young Ama and he was spending all the time he could with her, preparing for their wedding, but today, she was working at the hospital, so there he was. In the office. Madara had been to the hospital and then came to the construction site, looking at everything with his friend, while Tobirama had been brooding in the back before they all ended up doing paperwork.

After going through piles and piles of documents, Hashirama yawned and dropped his head on his desk with a thud. He could feel his brother's unhappiness and even if he wanted to ask him a few questions, he decided otherwise. Whatever was going on between him and the young medic, he could figure it out on his own. Izuna abruptly stood up and slammed his hand on the desk he had been working on.

"I don't know about you, but I could use some time to relax right now." That caught Hashirama and Madara's attention and the older Uchiha crossed his arms on his chest.

"What do you propose?"

"It's been a while since we all sparred and-" Izuna did not have time to finish his thought that Hashirama was already walking towards the door with long strides. Hand on the handle, he turned around to face the other men.

"Excellent idea! To the training ground!"

Tobirama rolled his eyes. His brother was a terrible village leader. Every time he had the option to distract himself from his duty, he was taking it. Not being a fan of casual spar with the Uchiha, Tobirama had to admit that it would probably help him relax and not think about whatever Sakura wanted to tell him... Being cooped up in the office did not help at all, so he followed them and thought about her green eyes. Why did she look like she was about to fall apart? Walking behind the men, he sighed. He could wait until tonight for her to tell him what was going on.

When they arrived at the training ground, Tobirama had to focus quickly since Izuna had decided to start the spar with a ball of fire sent his way and with no warning. Feeling the thrill of the fight in his veins, Tobirama smirked and attacked the Uchiha. Maybe a spar was exactly what he needed.

The four men were now laying on their backs, panting. Hashirama laughed and looked at his good friend.

"I need to train more often, being in the office had me lose some of my sharpness…" Tobirama snorted and turned his head in his brother's direction.

"You mean your laziness? I am in the office more often than you are, brother." Hearing a joke coming from Tobirama, Izuna laughed. The man had a sense of humor after all! Tobirama's smirked, sending an amused glance Izuna's way.

"But then you spend all your time with our favorite flower, we can barely see her nowadays!" Tobirama, sitting up, threw a shuriken in Izuna's direction, which the young Uchiha deflected, laughing.

"I don't see why it is my problem if you cannot see her." Both men looked at each other and a smile spread on Izuna's lips. His rival had finally found his woman. And he was happy for him.

Madara rose on his feet and sighed.

"Work won't wait for us. We should go back now in case people wonder where we have been."

The other men nodded in approval and followed him. The had not taken a step that they felt the earth shaking under their feet. Looking at each other, they zeroed in on her location and decided to make sure everything was fine. Tobirama's shoulder tensed. Why was she in the training field? Wasn't she supposed to be at the hospital? They all masked their chakra and approached the place where she was, watching her throw a fit, breaking trees and creating craters.

* * *

Sakura was at the training grounds and was destroying trees, kicking rocks, and doing whatever she could to let her frustration out. She had been mean with Ama at the hospital, she would have to apologize. The poor woman had done nothing wrong. Even her, during her apprenticeship with Tsunade, had made mistakes way worse than giving the wrong medicine to a patient. Her reaction to her apprentice's mistake had been over the top and her words had been too much. She could admit that.

The weight of her secret and of all the cryptic messages she found recently since the battle was heavy and for some reason, the few times she had wanted to share all of that and more with Tobirama, she lost her determination, or he had been distracting her with his presence or his touch…

She was weak. A coward. Punching another tree, she sighed. Tsunade would have been so disappointed if she saw the way she avoided her responsibilities… Hearing footsteps behind her, Sakura turned around. About to tell that person off, she stopped when she ended up being face to face with Mito.

The woman had a hard look on her face and Sakura sighed. _She knows. _Shooting the red head, a hard look, Sakura continued to evacuate her frustration by practicing her taijutsu.

"Sakura, can I talk to you?" Her voice was unyielding. The pink-haired medic paused and turn towards the woman.

"I don't have time, Mito." Something on Sakura's voice made her frown.

"You've been acting weird recently and this, what happened at the hospital, was unlike you. First Kaiya, now Ama? Are you alright?" Mito's voice was firm, and the medic knew that she would not get out of that one. She started to walk past Mito, but the red head grabbed her arm firmly. Anger boiled in Sakura's veins. She was tired of everything. Facing the woman, Sakura's eyes were shooting lightning, her temper getting the best of her.

"Mito, you are not my mother, just for once, stop worrying about me! Don't you have better things to do now that you are married?!" Mito took a step back and eyed Sakura from head to toes.

"What is wrong with you?!" Sakura avoided the hard look the Uzumaki gave her. "You've been on edge the whole week and it is not like you to snap at me like that, or at anyone for that matter!"

Stubborn, Sakura crossed her arms and still did everything she could not to look the red head in the eyes.

"How do you know that it's not like me? Do you really know me?!" Rubbing her face, frustrated, Sakura took in a deep breath before to continue. "Nothing's wrong. I just need to speak with Tobirama and did not get the chance to since _you _interrupted us, that's all." The Uzumaki huffed a laugh at that.

"You are telling me that you have been like this this whole time only because you needed to _speak_ with Tobirama? You see each other quite often, you had plenty of chances to do so! I don't buy it."

"It's not what you think, it is serious." A frown found the medic's face and she tightened the grip she had on her arm, knuckles turning white.

"What does he need to know that brings you so much stress, causing you to treat your friend the way you just did!? Why do you need to talk to him? How can you be nervous to talk to him of all people!?" Under the assault of Mito's questions, Sakura let out a frustrated huff and ran her hand in her hair, clenching her jaw.

"Because…" Searching for her words, she could not do better than: "I am not from here and he needs to know that!"

Mito raised an eyebrow. Was Sakura trying to state the obvious?

"We already know you are not from here, you are from another vill-"

"No! You think you know but you don't! Stop acting like you know everything!" Sakura screamed at Mito facing her and the Uzumaki saw pain and frustration… and something else in her green eyes. Like she was holding back something.

"Well, if I don't know how about you tell me?!" Mito was losing her temper slowly and her voice grew harsher. She would not let Sakura go after the way she treated her, and she was definitely going to get to the bottom of this.

"That's the thing! I can't tell you!" Sakura's voice grew exasperated as she threw her arms in the air in desperation.

"You can't or don't want to?!" Sakura was about to talk but the red head continued, raising her hand to stop Sakura. "You know what, don't tell me. If you can't tell me or him, quit being harsh with everyone around you and just live with it whatever IT may be!"

"You just don't understand how it feels like! It's like I am carrying this weight permanently. It is heavy and I am so tired of it!" Hearing that, Mito raised an eyebrow. She did not get to complain about whatever was going on and then telling her that she could not talk about it.

"Then trust someone for once and just let it out! Stop acting like you are responsible to carry every burden! You are not!" Sakura could not help the next words that came out of her mouth and getting really close from Mito's face she yelled, her voice breaking slightly.

"Wouldn't you feel responsible if you were the one thrown in the past of your village to fix the mess that caused it's destruction decades and decades later?!" Sakura was standing in front of a shocked Mito, jaw and fists clenched.

The red head stared at Sakura and her words registered in her brain. That could not be true. No one could travel through time... But again, it could explain so many things. Her seal, her abilities, her peculiar clothing choices, the fact that she knew so many things about the Uchihas and the Senjus… And about all the other clans as well.

"Sakura… Are you saying that you-" Understanding the underlaying question, Sakura dropped her head and sighed.

"Yes."

"But how?!" A small chuckle left her lips, but the humor of it did not reach her eyes when she looked up.

"I am still trying to figure this out myself…" Mito's expression was now softer. They looked at each other for a few minutes, the weight of the words spoken settling between them. Sakura had to admit that she felt somewhat lighter, but she was still realizing that now her secret was in the open.

"Can you tell me what happened… To the village? How did it get to that point?" Sighing, Sakura rubbed her neck.

"The village was not destroyed, but with whatever was left of it…" Understanding the underlying truth, Mito nodded.

"I am listening if you want to tell me." Sakura thought about it. To be able to have her understanding the overwhelming feeling, she definitely could do that for Mito. Nodding, she ran a tired hand in her hair and started.

She told Mito about the year she was born, in a time that seemed so far and shared her story and her village's. She also mentioned again that, technically, the village was still standing, but it was not the village she once lived in. She then proceeded to talk about the nine tails attack, the Uchiha clan massacre, the Akatsuki, Pain's attack, Madara, Sasuke and his revenge quest, the fact that her mentor was her and Hashirama's granddaughter, the Fourth War, the Rabbit Goddess and the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the death of her friends.

She told her how one day she was mourning her losses and the next one she woke up in a different time. The way she had only getting through her life day by day, wondering if she would ever go back to her own village. How the past in her future involved Izuna's death, how she believed that her mission, the reason why she had been sent here in the past was to save his life to avoid having Madara go mad. She told her how, now that she saved the man, she did not know what she was still doing here but also how she did not know if she wanted to go back home because she had found something worth staying for. How fear would twist her guts at the thought of waking up back in her old life like nothing happened…

At the end of her story Sakura was a mess, trying to catch her breath. Afraid to look the red head in the face, Sakura stole a quick glance in her direction and fresh tears flowed from her eyes. Mito was looking at her in awe. She knew that Sakura was special, but she had been far from the truth. She was so much more. Her behavior of the past months, her reaction to some situations and a lot of other elements about her made so much more sense now...

Mito reached for her and grab her shoulders, squeezing them reassuringly.

"Sakura, my poor dear…" Sakura gave the red head a sad smile and shrugged her shoulders, defeated.

"I tried to make it right. I hope I did… I just…" She looked at Mito with wide green eyes. "I was thrown here, by who knows who, to do god knows what and I can't figure if I got this right… I am just doing my best with what I've been given hoping it will be enough." Mito wrapped her in a warm embrace and rubbed her back gently.

"I am sure you did enough, Sakura... I am sure you did." They stayed silent for a moment. Looking up, Mito's eyes widened. "Oh no… Sakura, I-"

Hearing the distress in her friend's voice, Sakura turned to see what she had been looking at. A few meters away from them stood Hashirama and Tobirama, staring at them. Meeting crimson eyes and seeing the glint of hurt in his eyes, Sakura knew that he heard it all.


	27. Chapter 27

Note: Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 27

He had heard it all. Taking one last glance at her, the man turned around and with long strides started to walk away. Sakura looked at Mito and without thinking ran after Tobirama.

"Tobirama, wait, I can explain." Her voice was pleading, and she hoped he would listen to her.

Anger was flowing out of him in waves. He did not want to talk to her. He just wanted to sort things out on his own. "Wait-" Hearing her supplicating voice, something snapped inside him, and he turned around, angry frown plastered on his face. Since she knew him, she had never seen such raging expression. It affected her greatly and she felt her heart break when she realized that his rage was directed at her… Getting closer to her, he then exploded.

"Explain what! How you lied to me this whole time?! I knew some things were off, but this, THIS is bigger than anything I could have predicted." His voice was low, and resentment was seeping through it. Sakura could also hear a hint of hurt behind it all. She tried to touch his arm, but he yanked it away. "Do not touch me." His words came out in a growl and raising her hands in the air in surrender, she tried to meet his eyes.

"I did not lie to you… I never lied on what was important, I-"

He had a hard laugh, and she could not help the tears that started to sting in her eyes. Today was definitely the worst. Seeing her crying just made his anger flare even more because despite him feeling betrayed, despite everything, he hated to see her cry and wanted to hold her. Especially knowing that he was the one causing her pain at the moment felt like he was purposely stabbing himself. But he could not do anything about it. Not now that he knew the truth. A truth that she omitted for so long, even though they were so close.

"Telling me that you were from another time did not strike you as something important?! I trusted you, Sakura. You could have told me, but you didn't. Why didn't you?!" He was screaming at her now. Mito and Hashirama came running out of the tree line and their eyes widened when they heard the man yelling. This was unlike him. It was well known that Tobirama Senju was never yelling. Mito tried to get closer, but Hashirama grabbed her arm, shaking his head.

Sakura was standing in front of the man, her body wracked with sobs and Mito could see a something in Tobirama's eyes. _Tears? _He never showed any emotions, but right now, he looked like a wreck, which gave her a pretty good idea of the depth of the feelings he had for the pink haired woman and on the feeling of betrayal he was experiencing.

"Why didn't you." His voice broke and looking up at him, Sakura saw infinite sadness in his crimson eyes. She opened her mouth to answer at the same time he walked over to her. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Because did not plan to fall in love with you, stupid Senju-" Stopping in front of her, he barely gave her the time to finish her sentence and did not yet register what she had just said to him.

"Maybe I should not have saved you that day." Transporting away, he left Sakura standing alone while her heart fell in her chest. Mito walked to her and tried to hug her, but Sakura shrugged her arm off violently and ran towards her house. She was in pain. Had she not opened up to Mito, none of this would have happen. It had not been how she wanted him to know. This is exactly why she did not want to tell them. She hoped that once she would talk about it, he would understand. Hoped. Granted, she could have done it a different way. _Well it is too late now._

* * *

Still crying she arrived to her house. Numbly, she entered and once she closed the door, she slid her back on it and sat on the floor, holding her head between her hands. Startled, her head snapped up when someone moved on the chair in the dark. Looking up, she saw Madara. He had his elbows on the table, gripping his head in his hands. When he heard her surprised gasp, he lifted his head and looked at her. Sadness was the only thing she could read in his onyx orbs and her heart clenched. Judging by his expression, had been there too…

"All this time, I wondered who could have taken everything away from you. Yet, I never thought it could have been me…" She met his eyes, and his heartbreak was evident. "How could you even trust me knowing what I did to you... to your village?"

Sakura got on her feet, closed the distance between them and crouched in front of him. Pushing her own pain away she tried to find the right words to help her friend. She would have plenty of time later on to fall apart. Taking his hand in hers she sighed, wiping her own tears with her available hand.

"I trust you because you and the man who started the war in my time are two different persons. I know it when I look at you. I know it in the way you care for the people around you. You are not him. This man-" She paused, taking a breath to steady her voice. "This man had his family ripped away from him with nothing to keep him going while everyone else around him lived a good life, shutting him off. He was misunderstood and no one cared enough to try and understand him, I see that now. You, on the other hand, have your brother and me, Hashirama and Mito, and an entire village trusting you. I trust you. _You_ are my friend, and that is what matters to me."

His tensed shoulders relaxed, and he knelt to the ground, taking Sakura into a tight embrace. Crushed against his chest, she ran her hand through his silky dark hair in a soothing motion and let out a shaky breath. She could feel a few tears of his falling on her shoulder and did not comment on it, but this just proved her point. The man that was with her right now was not the one who caused the war. She realized just how much he trusted her to be able to show this vulnerable side of his to her. Still, she could not imagine how it would feel to learn that your future self, had been the cause of so much destruction and deaths.

"Remember, Madara, the person you are now is what matters, not the person you could have been had the circumstances been different."

They stayed silent for a few minutes and when Madara pulled away his eyes did not hold any trace of his previous vulnerability. Taking in the sight of her, he frowned. Her eyes were swollen, and it looked like she was holding on by a thread. He was feeling better, but she was not, obviously, if the pain in her eyes was an indicator of it. Something else happened to her... Sakura's bottom lip was quivering under his intense examination, and she still had a shaky breath. How could she always put everyone else's well-being before hers? They did not deserve her.

"Are_ you_ ok?" She laughed at his question, wiping her eyes. Yes. It had been stupid to ask and he could admit that.

"I realized that _he_ had been there the whole time I was talking to Mito and tried to catch up to him to explain myself but-" Tears were forming in her eyes and it gave him the answer on how this conversation had turned out. Madara wiped her cheek with his thumbs.

He would have to have a talk with Tobirama. He had no clue what the man had told her, but he did not need his sharingan to know how hard the words had struck her. He also knew of her feelings for the man and did not take it well that he dared hurt her the way he did. _Tobirama better have a good reason or I swear to God, I won't hold back. _Seeing her sad smile, he pulled her to his chest again, rubbing her back gently.

They stayed on the ground for a moment before a knock on the door caught their attention. Izuna entered and saw them kneeling on the ground, her in his brother's arms, looking like a mess. He joined them and knelt in front of her. Madara let her go and she faced the young Uchiha. Meeting his eyes, she shook her head.

"Izuna, I am so-" It was now his turn to give her a bone crushing hug, which she reciprocated, sobbing. The young Uchiha realized that he would have been dead if she had not been there to save him. He owed her so much. Without her he would not have known Ama, fell in love and experienced peacetime. He would have been dead. With shining eyes, he whispered against her ear.

"Don't you dare apologize." Pulling away, he met her glance. "I want to thank you… For everything." _For not letting me die._ The sincerity of his words made her smile slightly. Sighing she stood up, grabbed their shoulders lightly and squeezed. Going to the counter, she started to prepare tea without a word. Izuna stayed for tea and then got up to leave. Before to open the door he looked at her seriously.

"I can expect you to my wedding, right?" There was so much hope in his eyes. Sakura smiled and nodded. With that, the young Uchiha left her house.

Alone with the Uchiha leader, Sakura returned to the table and they enjoyed each other's company a little while longer, finishing the tea. Getting to the pantry, she took out a sake bottle and showing it to Madara, she tilted her head in a silent question. He nodded and she filled up cups, bringing them with her to the table. They clinked their cups together and looking at her, he smiled, raising a toast.

"To doing the right things, no matter how hard they are." This toast held so many facets of her story, and he had done it on purpose. To celebrate her achievements here and in the future. Nodding her head, her voice was shaky when she said:

"To the life that you were meant to live." His eyes were telling how thankful he was. For everything. And together, they gulped down the cups.

Madara ended up staying long enough for her to make another pot of tea. She was grateful for his presence and he knew not to ask her questions yet since she had not processed what had happened. Madara looked up from his teacup and saw her looking outside, lost in thoughts. He understood that she now needed to be alone to think over the situation and process things on her own, even if she would never ask him to leave. Finishing his cup, Madara gave her a small smile when she looked over his way.

"I would love to hear about your life when you are ready to talk about it… Your real life." She gave him a small smile, huffing a laugh.

"Definitely. Perhaps not tonight…" Nodding he helped her up and they walked to the door together in a peaceful silence. Stepping outside, Madara faced her and held her hands. His eyes met hers.

"No matter what happens, know that you will always have your place with us, Sakura. You are a member of my family as much as Izuna is." Felling emotional, Sakura only nodded, not trusting her voice. Madara wrapped his arms around her, and like he did that time, kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes. "If you want me to, I can escort you to Izuna's wedding if things are not back to normal by then between you and _him_."

Looking up at him, Sakura's eyes shone, and she pressed her cheek on his chest.

"Thank you..." Knowing that he would save her the shame of going alone to a wedding made her smile inside. He was really like a big brother to her, and for that, she was grateful.

Madara dropped his cheek on the top of her head, swaying from one foot to the other in a soothing motion. He had so many things to thank her for. He would not disappoint her and would make sure to use this new life she gave him the best he could. The life he was meant to live. Pulling away, he wiped the remnant of her tears from her face and gave her an encouraging smile. He then left and turned back one more time to look at her before disappearing from her view.

* * *

The shadow lurking between the trees tensed when the Uchiha leader embraced the young medic… Interesting. She was playing on both boards… This could be helpful. What an interesting turn of events.

* * *

Coming back in her house, Sakura closed the door. A numb feeling filled her chest and she walked to her bedroom with the intention to sleep. Looking down at the bed, she gripped her heart tightly. She could not sleep there tonight. Simply because she remembered soft crimson eyes looking at her and when they were crossing her mind, they were replaced by the eyes that could have ripped her heart out of her chest earlier. Grabbing her night clothes, she changed and went to the living room. The rest of the night found her on her couch, curled up, hugging her knees.

Her mind was reeling. She was glad that this was now in the open, but how did it hurt... Mito had been so understanding when she heard the truth. Madara and Izuna had been shocked, but so thankful and she could only imagine that Hashirama, being who he is was, was fine with it too. She would have to talk to him tomorrow.

But why did Tobirama react the way he did? Sure, she could have told him before, but other than that, there were no reasons for him to feel that way, were there? She had done everything she could to achieve the peace, for Madara to be a good man and for the village to prosper… Surely, he could not doubt of her loyalty? If he did, she would not be able to stay here. She could not walk around the village knowing that he hated her and did not trust her anymore. Maybe she would leave the village and find another place to help people? Suna maybe? The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was a shinobi of the Leaf. And she could not give the man another reason to despise her… She gripped her necklace tightly.

Her eyes opened widely when a fleeting thought crossed her mind. She could stay here, do her job and in the meantime, try to work on a time travel jutsu to go back home? The only thing was that she had no knowledge of seals or space and time jutsus. But, she had been studying seals a lot since that dream of hers, so she picked up on a few notions that could have been helpful. She would have to get the access to the Senju library to be able to do a proper research and not only on the few scrolls she borrowed recently… Exhausted, Sakura closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Tobirama was pacing in his bedroom. This was too much. He had told her things that even his own brother did not know about him. He had been closer to her than to anyone in his entire life, and there she was, hiding the fact that she was coming from a totally different time. It had been so hard to listen to the whole story and not do anything. He raised his head when Mito burst into his bedroom, a nervous Hashirama on her heels.

"I don't need to talk right now Mito. Leave." A scoff left her, and Mito's anger burned like a hundred fires, making him tense.

"Tobirama Senju, you will listen to me. What you told her was unacceptable." Poking her finger in the middle of his chest hardly Mito glared up into his crimson eyes. "You did not mean it."

"What if I did?" The way Tobirama answered to Mito made Hashirama frown. Taking a step forward, the Senju leader gave his brother a stern expression.

"You are hurt right now, which is understandable, but you went too far." Tobirama turned his back on them and slammed his fist on his desk, cracking the wood on the surface.

"She betrayed us, Hashirama. She betrayed me!" Hashirama could understand the feeling his brother had but could also see the helplessness hidden in his crimson eyes. It was not about them being betrayed. It was about him not knowing this important part of her until a few hours ago despite being the closest person to her.

"She did what she thought was the right thing in order to help everyone, Tobirama." Hashirama's voice was low and serious. "We are talking about Sakura here, not some other person with no morals."

"But who is she really, brother? You talk about morals, but do you really know her? She could have lied about that too for all we know!" Mito stepped closer, backhanding him in the face. She was now sulking. She would not let him minimize everything Sakura did and sacrificed for them or question the kind of person she was simply because of a detail. Tobirama froze when the stinging pain on his cheek registered in his brain. Mito was glaring at him, accusing finger under his nose.

"She never lied to you. You can't blame her for doing the right thing. Did you try to put yourself in her shoes just for _one_ second to see what it might have felt like? To have this burden. Appearing out of nowhere in a world which is not yours without everything you know? Without your friends and family?"

Tobirama stayed silent, his face turned away and screwed his eyes shut, trying to calm his breathing. No. He had not tried to see it from her perspective. Hashirama grabbed Mito by the shoulders and dragged her close to the door. They would not be able to talk any sense into the young Senju right now. He needed to sort everything out on his own and realize how bad he messed up. Before to leave, Hashirama sighed and looked at Tobirama who was gripping the edge of his desk with a white knuckled grip.

"This woman sacrificed everything for Konoha. Hers or ours, what does it matter? She did everything in her power to protect the village and that is something you should be able to admire, or at least, understand." The door closed behind Hashirama and Tobirama threw his desk on the wall in frustration.

Gripping his hair, he breathed out. Why was this hurting so much? This was not something he normally felt. He never screamed. He never lost his cool and yet here he was… Leaning his forehead on the wall, the tension in his shoulders ebbed away and he felt something on his cheek. Reaching for his face, he realized it was a tear. Looking around, it felt like his room was too small. He was suffocating. Gripping his weapon pouch he tied it to his leg. Opening the door leading to the garden, Tobirama started running. He had to let some of his frustration out. His heart feeling like a heavy stone in his chest. Sure, he found some things she previously did and say strange and was questioning them, but to know that the situation was way out of what he imagined was a lot to take in.

Lost in his thoughts, he did not realize where his foot lead him until he looked up. Sakura's house. It was dark and sensing around, he could feel that she was asleep. His head screamed to go back home, but his heart wanted to see her. _Needed _to see her. Silently, he went up the stairs and opened the door, sliding inside. He was surprised to see her laying on the couch.

Getting closer, he let out a shuddering breath. Her eyes were still swollen and tears still dampening her skin. She had cried herself to sleep. Taking in her position, he ran a frustrated hand in his hair. She was hugging herself like she was trying to hold back the pieces of her shattered heart together. He could feel her pain echoing in him. Every fiber of his being wanted him to join her on the couch and hold her until the frown on her face disappeared. It physically hurt to see her this way. But his brain won the fight against his heart in the end. Tearing his eyes from her, Tobirama transported back to his bedroom. Undressing, he laid on his bed, spending the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, trying to understand what this all meant.


End file.
